“THE STORY THAT CANNOT BE TOLD”: NARRATIVES OF THE SOCCER TRAJECTORY OF ATHLETES FROM THE STATE OF MATO GROSSO DO SUL

Abstract

The search for a career as a professional football player starts early. The relationship between supply and demand in this environment makes the market competitive, in which few are able to achieve socioeconomic mobility. Thinking about the difficulties in the trajectory of footballers, this research aims to analyze the difficulties in the career of professional football players born in Mato Grosso do Sul. Through the singularities of the career of each interviewee, we sought to understand the structure of this medium, portraying the experiences of athletes who are not always able to reach the big clubs in Brazilian football. Oral history, the methodology used, allowed us to have a closer relationship with the research participants in order to understand professional development through memory, making us understand football beyond what is seen in large cities. Thus, the narratives presented a series of difficulties with regard to issues of salary, calendar and contract, as well as dealing with deficiencies in the process of training athletes.