From the City of God to heavenly heights

• Macaé Craque De Bola wows the world on social media
• He rocketed from the favela to global fame in a few years
• Macaé discusses his FIFA Club World Cup experience

“I’m not good at fighting,” Mané Galinha told kids as he handed them bus tickets inside a Rio de Janeiro favela. “I’m about peace and love.”

That unequivocally changed, however, when the former army sniper was forced to watch barbarous sociopath Zé Pequeno assassinate his brother and uncle. War erupted between gangs led by Mané Galinha and Zé Pequeno, leading to innumerable unspeakable executions.

Empire magazine labelled Cidade de Deus (City of God) “a blood-stained masterpiece”. TIME magazine named it among The 100 Greatest Films of All Time. “It seems, at times, too fictitious for a fiction classification, yet it’s astonishingly based on true crime.”

Cidade de Deus the movie was, indeed, reality for inhabitants of Cidade de Deus the favela. It was reality for Leandro Freitas de Oliveira Henrique. He was born there, raised there and, until two years ago, lived there.

Leandro had attempted to make it as a pro footballer. He’d reached the Brazilian Serie D, but then freefallen into relying on his mother for financial support. Leandro was already taking care of his niece – her mother, his sister, had tragically passed away – when he learned he was going to become a father for the first time in 2013. It was then he decided enough was enough. He started working minimum-wage jobs and accepted that, and life in Cidade de Deus, would be his future.

Then Leandro began posting comical videos of himself pulling off tricks. People were engrossed seeing someone 1.98 metres tall pulling off skills the likes of Neymar and Vinicius Jr would be proud of. When one of the supermarket shelf-stacker taking a penalty hit TikTok, the Brazil team-mates, on FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ duty, saw it and imitated him during a training session. It went viral and the rest is history.

Leandro is now known as Macaé Craque De Bola (Macaé the Baller). He now has 2.3 million followers on social media. He now counts Neymar and Vinicius among his friends. Macaé the Baller tells FIFA his mind-blowing story and recounts his amazing experience at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.

FIFA: What was it like growing up in Cidade de Deus?

Macaé, Craque De Bola: Really difficult. Drug trafficking is really rife in Rio de Janeiro. I was born in the middle of it. I would see people sell guns here and there, see people die. There’d be shootouts on the corner of my house. My mother would have to leave for work in the middle of shootouts. I had friends who got into drug trafficking, who died. That was my reality. It gave me tough skin.

I’m proud of where I’m from, but getting out of there was a victory for me. It’s not that it’s bad living in the favela, but that tomorrow a stray bullet could hit you and you’ll be dead. I began looking after my niece when my sister died in 2010. I became a father in 2013. Once you have kids, you worry much more, you want a better life for them. But as I said, I’m proud to be born and raised in Cidade de Deus. I’m proud to still have friends there, to always go there, have kickarounds there. I still have family there. If you took away the violence, the drug trafficking, there’d be no problem living in the favela. It’s a place you’ll feel very welcome. You have really genuine people. You have that Carioca energy, that extroverted side that every Carioca has.

Can you tell us about your 11-a-side career?

I started playing at Madureira, who play in the Campeonato Carioca. I turned professional there and stayed for six years. Then I had some loan spells. I wasn’t making money from football. One team didn’t pay me for six months. That’s what happens in Brazil. My mother helped me for years, keeping me afloat, paying my bills. I was looking after my niece and, in 2013, I had my first daughter. I knew I had to support myself, take care of my responsibilities, so I stopped playing football and got a job. I worked as a waiter, alongside my mother at the restaurant she worked at. Then, during the pandemic, I worked stacking shelves at a supermarket.

Given how much ability you have, why on earth did you play as a defensive midfielder?

Until I was 16, I was of normal height. I started growing and growing from 17 years old. I was always messing about with the ball with my friends, doing keepy-uppies, and this improved my ability, but I had always played as a defensive midfielder and you just carry on playing there. When everybody saw me, they’d always think I was a goalkeeper or a centre-back, or that we were a player short and they’d borrowed me from the basketball team! (laughs) It was only when I started playing Futebol 7 that I played up front. Now, when people see me for the first time, people are shocked that, given I’m so tall, I have this ability.

Can you tell us about the post that went viral and set you on the way to stardom?

I didn’t play football for four years. Then, in 2018, I got the opportunity to play Futebol 7 (a 7-a-side variation). At Futebol 7, I became a striker. I was still doing odd jobs. I became a little bit known in the discipline. I started posting videos – messing about with the ball in training, doing things during games – and they got a bit of attention. At the World Cup in 2022, a couple of games went to penalties (in the last 16). I was posting videos taking penalties. They were partly comical.

Then Neymar, Vinicius Jr and Paqueta saw it and liked it a lot. They started imitating me in training. In one day I got 100,00 followers. One day! My God. Everyone was stopping me in the street. I remember going back from Recife to Rio, everyone stopping and asking for a photo. I thought, ‘My God’. I said to myself, ‘I’m going to get on the internet and invest in this’.

Of all your videos, which are you most proud of?

I did a video with Marcelo. It’s very organic. Marcelo is an extremely talented player. I challenged him to do a move which is really comfortable for me but very difficult. He found it difficult, but he pulled it off. It’s the video that had the biggest reach. It got 64 million on TikTok, 60 million on Instagram. An icon of world football struggling to do one of my moves. The man played for Real Madrid. I was born and raised in Cidade de Deus. To participate in this video alongside him was, for me, really crazy. Sometimes I can’t believe it. When I pick up my phone, I always try to watch it. I say, ‘Wow, that’s me.’ It makes me really happy.

What have been the coolest things that you’ve been able to do because of your fame?

It's hard to believe everything that’s happened to me. I still find it hard to believe. I’ve been able to meet and become friends with footballers. I have Neymar and Vinicius Jr on WhatsApp. I’ve been to Neymar’s house, Ronaldinho Gaucho’s house. I’m sponsored by adidas. I’ve travelled all over, got to see other countries. I went to the [UEFA] EURO in Germany. I went to the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, and every single day there was amazing. My dream was to become a footballer and be on the TV. I didn’t manage it but now I’m walking along the street and people recognise me, want to talk to me, take photos. Even in the United States, people recognised me. I found this unbelievable. It makes me really happy.

Can you tell us how you came to present the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match award to Bruno Henrique after Flamengo’s victory over Chelsea?

I do work for Budweiser in Brazil. They are partners with Michelob, and they came to me with the possibility of presenting the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match award if Flamengo won. I’m a diehard Flamenguista. I couldn’t sleep the night before. I was really nervous. It was a dream already, and it was made even better when it was Bruno Henrique. Bruno Henrique is my idol along with Zico, Adriano ‘Imperador’, Gabigol. Bruno Henrique’s a guy I look at and think, ‘My God’. I still can’t believe it happened. I keep looking at the photo thinking ‘wow’. There are so many amazing things happening in my life. Including this, FIFA wanting to talk to me! It’s hard to believe. I’m really, really happy.

How did it feel to watch Lionel Messi in the flesh?

I fulfilled one of my biggest dreams in life. In January of last year, I made myself a target: to meet Neymar. Meeting Neymar was the pinnacle for me. He saw my video with Marcelo and invited me to his house. I went to his house at Christmas, got to meet him, spend time with him. He’s such a nice person. Seeing Messi play was another. I’m a huge football fan. I watch everything. I remember Messi’s first goal like it was today. It was from a dinked pass from Ronaldinho Gaucho. At Hard Rock Stadium, I was really close to the pitch and seeing Messi up close was sensational. The way he touches the ball, escapes his markers. Now I’ve seen Messi play in person. It was a dream come true.

You’re a diehard Flamenguista. Are you supporting against rival teams Botafogo, Fluminense and Palmeiras?

I’m supporting all the Brazilian teams. All of them. Firstly, because I’m patriotic and I’m proud that the Brazilian teams got through the group stage. Secondly, because I’m friends with the Palmeiras, Botafogo, Fluminense players. Everyone knowns I’m a diehard Flamenguista, but I’m treated really well by players from other clubs. Not so much from the supporters! (laughs) Unless they are playing against Flamengo, I’ll be supporting them.

Who will go through: Palmeiras or Botafogo?

Good question. Abel [Ferreira] being on their bench for so long gives Palmeiras an advantage, but I think Botafogo have a better team. Botafogo are stronger physically, they’re better at marking, they know and understand what they want in the game. I believe Botafogo are the favourites, but that Palmeiras will go through because they have a strategist in charge who knows how to shape the team for every moment. He will already have a sensational gameplan to tackle Botafogo.

What do you think of Estevao as a player?

As well as being my friend, he’s also a star. He’s a jewel, a player who will bring a lot to Brazilian football. He is a very humble, down-to-earth boy who knows who he is and how far he can go. He’s not dazzled by fame, by what he’s experiencing as an 18-year-old. He’s already frightened the world with his talent. I think he will become the best player in the world in the future. Messi and Cristiano were the best for so long. Now you have Vini Jr, Mbappe. I think Estevao will end up competing with Lamine Yamal to be the world’s best. I think Estevao will do really well at Cheslea. I think he will be the No10 for the Brazilian national team in the future.

Who do you think will win the FIFA Club World Cup?

Flamengo. Getting to the final couldn’t be tougher, but I believe Flamengo can win the Club World Cup. If we get past Bayern, we could have to play PSG, the European champions. Then we could have to face Real Madrid in the semi-finals. But I believe in Flamengo. Flamengo aren’t afraid of any team. A lot of teams will go on to the pitch trembling against Bayern or Real Madrid. Flamengo will go toe to toe with them. Flamengo will fight until the very end. Flamengo have great players and so many supporters in the United States, believing in this dream. Football is a box of surprises.