The soccer club of Sao Paulo announced on Monday their list of 25 players who will be signed up to play in the 2008 Libertadores Cup.
The big surprise in the announcement was the 16-year-old forward, Roni, who will also wear jersey 16.
To the contrary of the last two years of the competition, Sao Paulo will not be entering tournament as the favorite to win. This is how the goalkeeper of the team, Rogerio Ceni, sees the situation. The player believes that the team has not shown any sign of life on the field that would suggest otherwise.
"Sao Paulo will not enter as the favorite to win the competition, but we are going to fight for it," claimed Ceni.
"We haven't showed a convincing act that would designate us to be this year's champs. However, we still have plenty of time ahead of us," added the goalie.
The youngster of 16 years old, Roni, was surprised to be added to the list of players who will be registered to play in the Libertadores Cup. The player has already played in the Sao Paulo state tournament, but has yet to play in a professional game. The player will not travel to Columbia for the first game of Sao Paulo against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday night.
"I was not expecting to be registered into the Libertadores. Things happen naturally and I am excited to be a part of the team. They give you support, help you and the coach, Muricy Ramalho, is great with youngsters," said Roni.
Ramalho stated that he would be cautious with the presence of the player. "I always liked to reveal players. This is part of my job, but it doesn't help if you give the player more responsibility than he can handle," said the head coach of Sao Paulo.
Source:Xinhua
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