The agony in Ukraine is over: Brazilian footballers escaped the horror of war and arrived in their country

Photo: Sebastião Moreira / EFE

By: Kike Frías Updated 01 Sea 2022, 16: 20 pm EST

The group of Brazilian soccer players who play in Ukraine soccer and were caught in the middle of the Russian invasion, they were able to escape across the border with Romania together with their families after an agonizing week.

This Tuesday managed to reach their country the 46 people, including soccer players and their families, to Sao Paulo , Brazil, in an operation that lasted two days and in which the Brazilian Foreign Ministry participated in collaboration with the countries bordering Ukraine and some clubs from that country.

A group of 46 Brazilians, which includes several soccer players, He arrived in Sao Paulo after being evacuated from Ukraine in an operation involving the Brazilian Foreign Ministry and some clubs, in the midst of the Russian invasion. https://t.co/5iW4Ui4tFm pic.twitter.com/MKbw7tHg0G

— EFE News (@EFEnoticias) March 1, 2022

Tears and emotional hugs could be seen at the Sao Paulo International Airport when relatives and close ones received their loved ones who were trapped in the horror of war and for almost a week they begged to be evacuated from the Ukraine.

The Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder, ‘Pedrinho’, told the media present how he said goodbye to his parents every day in the video calls that were made, in addition to feeling the near death.

“Everything has happened now, what I want most is to be with my family, with my parents. Every time I talked to them I always said goodbye, because I didn’t know if it would be the last time. So I want to get home, be with my daughter”

Pedrinho

About the journey they went through to escape Ukraine through various borders, the Brazilian narrated that their families encouraged them to be brave. He also thanked the governing body of football in Europe, UEFA, because it had to do with his departure from the border.

“It was complicated, they had many children and what motivated us was to protect them. We took a train on the last day. There was an alert that things were going to get much worse and that if we didn’t get out in five minutes we wouldn’t be able to get out. We took a train, UEFA helped us with the buses, so that we could go safely”, explained Pedrinho.

EXCL: Romanian FA president awaiting the Shakhtar and Dynamo Kyiv players after they crossed the Romanian border.
42 people (players and their families). All safe and sound on their way to Bucharest right now.
The Romanian NT bus picked them up. pic.twitter.com/Q1OdcG2aZ0— Emanuel Roşu (@Emishor) February 20, 2022

During his journey back home, another player who thanked UEFA was striker Junior Moraes , which highlighted the role played by Aleksander Ceferin, president of the organization.

Shakhtar forward Junior Moraes: “UEFA president Ceferin was very helpful, I need to thank him. He was involved in everything, he helped us a lor. He kept texting me on Friday and Sarurday, he did everything possible to support”. pic.twitter.com/GrSjHvHxZI— Emanuel Roşu (@Emishor) February 27, 2022

The dimension of the trip they undertook fleeing Ukraine was also recounted by another Shakhtar footballer, Vinicius Tobias: “After hours of travel, we just crossed the border between Ukraine and Moldova. Now we have more than seven hours by bus to Bucharest, from where we are going to travel to Brazil, ”he said while they were still on the run.

Last Saturday was the last video they recorded asking their government to help them get out of Ukraine, when Russian troops had already started the attacks on the capital Kiev.

Led by Marlon and Maycon, Shakhtar Donetsk players (a team from a region already taken over by Russia), the players stated that both they and their relatives are very distressed by the conflict situation in the country.

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