DUBAI // Caio Canedo, Al Wasl’s Brazilian attacking midfielder, is keen to turn his loan into a permanent deal following a stunning debut season in the Arabian Gulf League.
Caio, who has played for a host of top Brazilian clubs including Botafogo, Figueirense and Internacional, has been one of the best foreign players of the season, scoring 19 goals in 28 league and League Cup matches for the Dubai club.
The 24-year-old has struck up a formidable attacking partnership with fellow Brazilians Fabio Lima and Ederson, and together they scored 46 of Wasl’s 53 goals in the Arabian Gulf League, to guide Wasl to sixth-place — their highest finish since 2010.
And Caio has revealed he is delighted with the way the season has unfolded.
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"It has been really great playing alongside them," Caio said in an interview Brazilian newspaper O Dia. "Fabio has come from Atletico Goianiense and Ederson from Atletico Paranaense, but we gelled together really fast.
“We have scored more goals than 10 clubs in the league and eight in the Qatari league. Sometimes we joke that we [the three Brazilians] are the Gulf version of Barcelona’s trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
“Here, they do not have much patience with foreign players and not every player coming here has done well. Some people have problems in adapting and Everton Ribeiro, who is playing here too [at Al Ahli], is having a few difficulties. Thankfully, in our case it was different.”
Having grown up in the United States, Caio, 24, said he believes his fluency in English helped him settle and, except for the “infernal” heat, for example, he has had few problems since arriving on loan from Internacional last summer.
“Otherwise, the adaptation was very easy,” Caio said. “Everyone speaks English here and I am fluent in the language. So I have had no problems on or off the field.”
Such is his happiness at Al Wasl, combined with the financial benefits, Caio does not see himself returning home anytime soon. He wants to follow in the footsteps of Emerson Sheikh, a former Al Ain and Al Sadd star.
“I always wanted to leave Brazil and financially this proposal weighed heavily,” Caio said. “My family depends on me [financially] a lot and I have to think about them first. So as soon as I received this proposal, I did not think twice before embracing it. I had absolutely no hesitation.
“From my heart, I do not think about nor do I see the point of playing in Europe or returning to Brazil, despite having a contract with Internacional until 2018. I am happy here and I think about the future of my family. They depend on me.
“So maybe like Sheikh, I will return only once I am settled financially. As for the national team, I am a realist and I know that playing here means zero chance for me.”
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