Soccer is everything for 17-year-old Cristiano Oliveira.“For me, soccer has always been my focus what it’s brought to my family, an opportunity, a chance. It comes also from my dad. He grew up playing soccer as all Brazilians do. He just kind of passed it on to me, and it grew every day. I was nine years old when I was playing with this team in Chelsea. Then I made my move to the Boston Bolts when I was 11,” Oliveira said.Before you could call him a teenager, he was a soccer genius. That’s when the New England Revolution took notice. Oliveira moved from the Bolts to the Revolution’s Academy and Coach Michael Milazzo has been with him since he arrived in Foxborough.”We literally have to drag him off the field. He’s always wanting more. Like, ‘Cristiano, OK, we’re going to do 10 minutes today. We’re only going to do 10 balls,” Milazzo said. “‘Coach, I want to do 12.’ OK, we’re going to do 11. It’s just this constant debate. For his mom and dad to allow us to work with him and give us the trust to be able to help guide them is amazing.”“Having someone like Coach Michael, who would trust me, play me and talk to me like, encourage me,” Oliveira said. “He was kind of like the first coach that pushed me and motivated me to keep going.”Oliveira made the first-team for the first time this season and scored his first goal. If you ask him what’s in story next season though, he’ll tell you he’s a hometown kid first.“This club has given me everything. I want to contribute and I want to help with whatever, if that’s coming off the bench, or if that’s starting, or however I can,” Oliviera said.
Soccer is everything for 17-year-old Cristiano Oliveira.
“For me, soccer has always been my focus what it’s brought to my family, an opportunity, a chance. It comes also from my dad. He grew up playing soccer as all Brazilians do. He just kind of passed it on to me, and it grew every day. I was nine years old when I was playing with this team in Chelsea. Then I made my move to the Boston Bolts when I was 11,” Oliveira said.
Before you could call him a teenager, he was a soccer genius. That’s when the New England Revolution took notice. Oliveira moved from the Bolts to the Revolution’s Academy and Coach Michael Milazzo has been with him since he arrived in Foxborough.
“We literally have to drag him off the field. He’s always wanting more. Like, ‘Cristiano, OK, we’re going to do 10 minutes today. We’re only going to do 10 balls,” Milazzo said. “‘Coach, I want to do 12.’ OK, we’re going to do 11. It’s just this constant debate. For his mom and dad to allow us to work with him and give us the trust to be able to help guide them is amazing.”
“Having someone like Coach Michael, who would trust me, play me and talk to me like, encourage me,” Oliveira said. “He was kind of like the first coach that pushed me and motivated me to keep going.”
Oliveira made the first-team for the first time this season and scored his first goal. If you ask him what’s in story next season though, he’ll tell you he’s a hometown kid first.
“This club has given me everything. I want to contribute and I want to help with whatever, if that’s coming off the bench, or if that’s starting, or however I can,” Oliviera said.
