Bournemouth striker Evanilson has Fleetwood Town to thank for record £40m transfer

INTERVIEW: Bournemouth striker Evanilson has had a difficult start to life in the Premier League following his summer transfer from FC Porto but Gustavo Leal and Jakub Mihalik, who both worked closely with the Brazilian during his time on loan in Slovakia with STK Samorim, have revealed he is used to defying the odds

Adversity is nothing new for Bournemouth's £40million club-record signing Evanilson - thanks to a life-changing six-month loan spell in the Slovakian second division.

The 24-year-old Brazilian frontman, a marquee summer acquisition from Porto, is yet to open his account for the Cherries having squandered a decisive second-half penalty in the recent 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea.

But for anyone now questioning whether Robert Sanchez's terrific diving save has proven mentally taxing - resilience, perseverance and overcoming setbacks has always formed part of Evanilson's DNA.

Former boss Gustavo Leal, who first crossed paths with the striker during his time in charge of Fluminense U17s, reveals: "He came from a humble background in Fortaleza, a big city in the north east of Brazil, before moving away from his family to Rio de Janeiro at 14 to pursue his dreams. He went through a tough period, specifically when he lost his mother which demanded an early maturity from him."

Leal, who also worked with the player in Brazil's Olympic setup, would then reunite with Evanilson on the banks of the Danube in western Slovakia in 2018.

While the partnership no longer exists, Fluminense collaborated with feeder side STK Samorim - sending around 60 Brazilian youth stars to a sleepy, picturesque village 25 minutes south of Bratislava.

The drastic cultural shift represented sink or swim territory, as Leal explained: "We arrived at training and it was freezing cold, about -10ºC degrees, in fact.

"As a teenager, he was a little stubborn and showed up without gloves. I said to him: 'Evanilson, put on some gloves, it's bone-chilling here!'

"But he didn't listen. Ten minutes later, his hands were as white as a sheet of paper, he could barely feel them and he ran as quickly as he could to a tap of hot water. I never saw him without gloves again."

Loan coordinator Jakub Mihalik, who still maintains contact with the 24-year-old centre-forward, assisted the teenager during the transition.

And incredibly, he claims the Brazil international has English football to thank for his first significant breakthrough.

Mihalik said: "It was a big change for these boys. In Rio, there are 13 million people, in Samorim there are 13,000. Evanilson started with our U19s and at the time, he was seen as a winger and was second or third choice for the first-team.

"Then Christian, another player that was ahead of him, went on trial at Fleetwood Town. Evanilson got his chance and you could see he made a difference. He played six games, scored three and got an assist and even when Christian returned, he was unable to get back into the team."

The unconventional baptism of fire would eventually change the course of Evanilson's career. Upon return to South America, he went straight into Fluminense's U20 side - finishing as their top goal-scorer and just a few months later, he would make his mark for the first-team when he struck twice against Corinthians away from home.

A return to Europe with Portuguese giants Porto soon beckoned in September 2020 and the rest, as they say, is history for Evanilson, who was part of Brazil's Copa America squad earlier this summer.

Filling the void of £65m departure Dominic Solanke is certainly no easy task but the character of Andoni Iraola's big-money purchase will inevitably shine through.

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