“In my heart, there are only three things. The first is God, the second is my family, and the third is football,” - Douglas Cardozo.
As the 2022/23 Thai League season commenced, other than the excitement surrounding the storylines of most prominent summer transfers, coaching changes and innovative new kit designs, something that might have gone under the radar is the topic of 40-year-old Brazilian Douglas being added to Ratchaburi’s squad.
Despite being five years above the usual retirement age for a footballer, Douglas enters year 13 of his tenure in Thailand, still going strong thanks to his unmatched passion for the beautiful game.
From winning the Brasileiro Serie A with Santos to becoming a Thai League cult hero to representing Brazil in a sepak takraw tournament and aiming to take Thailand to the World Cup, this is the story of Douglas Cardozo.
Humble beginnings
Like many footballers from Brazil, Douglas’ story began with him playing on the streets of the rural areas in Sao Paulo.
He didn’t grow up in a wealthy family and lived hand to mouth from a young age. Douglas knew that football was the only thing that could help him escape from his rough childhood.
“I grew up in a poor family,” said Douglas. “My family didn’t have much. We had to work hard for everything.”
“Football can change your life very quickly. When kids go to training, they have to be very focused because every time someone is looking for you. Sometimes they can think ‘I’m here alone, nobody is looking for me’ but when you do your best and work very hard, somebody always looks for you.”
That mindset became the main driver for Douglas from a young age. After playing for his local team Civicultura FC, the forward began to impress scouts in the region.
After scoring four goals in a match, Brazilian giants Santos FC didn’t hesitate to give Douglas a call. By 20, the Sao Paulo native had earned a spot on Santos’ first team.
“In my very first year with a professional team back in 2002, we were the champions of the Brazilian league. It was an amazing time in my career. Santos haven’t won for a very long time and our team went with young players such as Robinho (Robson de Souza) and Diego (Diego Ribas de Cunha) which helped us win the title."
“The following year we went to the final of Copa Libertadores and lost in the final against Boca Juniors.”
But despite being a part of his club’s success in ending a 34-year drought for the Brazilian top division title, Douglas felt that he still had a point to prove. The forward only featured sporadically for Santos during his three-year stint there, making 35 appearances and netting eight times.
Like many South American players, he turned his attention to Europe.
“My first experience in Europe was in Switzerland with Chiasso. But I didn’t enjoy my time there. I moved around from club to club, and country to country during my time in Europe."
“Some teams would loan me out and others I didn’t get much of a chance to play. I also suffered various injuries during my time there. It wasn’t a good moment in my career so I decided to come back.”
Following his short spells in the Spanish and Italian lower leagues respectively with Elche and Varese in addition to another year in Poland with Widzew Lodz, Douglas struggled to make any substantial impact at any of the aforementioned clubs. One measly goal was the only return he got during those three years.
His time in Europe left an unpalatable taste upon his return to Brazil. Something had to change.
‘I want to move to Thailand’
Now well into his mid-20s, Douglas knew he was losing time to make the most of his career. But one phone call soon changed everything.
“My manager (Valdir) started handing out my CVs to clubs around the world. There were many teams in Asia interested in me because of my profile. I was around 26-27, hitting my peak years."
“Valdir told me there was an offer from Buriram, a top division Thai club looking to make themselves the next big club in the region.”
“It was a time I saw a new opportunity so I decided ‘I want to move to Thailand’ and agreed on moving there.”
Despite Buriram’s growing prominence in the ASEAN region, not many people outside the country knew much about the club’s existence.
“I had to Google quite a lot about Thai football before I came. I didn’t know much about them at all. Whether it was the city or the club, I had to learn everything again."
“When I moved to Buriram, the club were still new at that time. Of course, they had good money but they weren’t a big club. They were just getting started."
“When I came, the team was at the top six spot, and we finished the season as the runner up.”
After helping Buriram’s main team achieve their best finish in club history in 2010, Douglas was sent to play in Buriram’s second team (Buriram FC) the following year in order to help the club earn promotion to the first division.
Despite seeing it as a downgrade initially, his passion for the game overtook the doubts he had for Thailand’s second division.
Douglas would have a career-high season, scoring 15 times and firing Buriram FC to a first-place finish with a massive 17-point margin over the second-placed team.
Douglas made it two in two by sending second-division side Ratchaburi FC to Thailand’s top league in the following 2012 season. His 10 goals fired the Dragons to lift the Division 1 title.
“I didn’t want to play Division 1 at the time. I had some offers back in Brazil and I thought I already had a good season winning the title with Buriram FC."
“Newin (Buriram United chairman) told me, ‘I have the style to play in Thailand and if I go to Ratchaburi it would be a success,’ so I believed him.”
But other than his impressive form on the pitch, the relationship he developed with the players, fans, coaches and board members would quickly earn him a cult hero status with the club.
“I would say my time at Ratchaburi from 2012-2014 was the best years in my football career. I felt at home there, the relationship with the fans and also with Fluke (Ratchaburi FC chairman Thanawat Nitikanjana) made it a very good experience for me.”
“When Heberty Fernandes (Thai League’s all-time top scorer) came in 2014, we played like a family. Amazingly, we finished top four and were also in two league cup finals during that time.”
After 60 appearances and close to 30 goals in the Ratchaburi uniform, the fighting spirit and thirst for a new challenge inside Douglas made him look elsewhere for the next chapter of his career.
In 2015, he joined newly promoted Thai League 1 side Saraburi FC. But this move did not pan out the way he wanted.
“For me, it wasn’t a good time. The mentality there was not my style. I want to be the champion, I want to fight every game to win. But for me, they don’t have that same mentality."
“If during the week, you don’t work hard, you can’t win games on the weekend. But the people there were saying ‘sabai’ (Thai word for relax) and ‘mai pen rai’ (Thai for ‘it’s okay’) for me it’s not good.”
He would leave the club after just half a season there before going on various short-term deals with PTT Rayong and Bangkok FC in Thailand’s second division.
Player turned coach
Following the passing of His Late Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October of 2016, all sporting and entertainment events came to an abrupt end.
As a result, Douglas returned to Brazil during the extended off-season hoping to get a fresh start when he returned.
However, things wouldn’t turn out the way he was hoping for. Upon his return, Douglas, who was 35 then, didn’t receive a single offer.
His age coupled with his high wage cost averted clubs from showing any real interest. The writing was on the wall, his football career was nearing its final act.
“At the time I wondered why people were giving up on me. I was 35 and I started to think about the future. This was when Fluke called me and asked if I wanted to help out with Ratchaburi’s academy."
“At first I hesitated a little on becoming a youth coach right away because I still felt like I was fit enough to play. But because of the connection that I have with Ratchaburi, both the team and the city, I took the job.”
Douglas would spend 2017-2020 coaching Ratchaburi’s youth teams as well as being the assistant coach for the first team.
He slowly shifted towards preparing himself for a full-time career in coaching. Douglas studied his way up the coaching certificates from the AFC ‘C’ to the AFC ‘B’ before currently midway through the ‘A’ License.
“I started looking into coaching more seriously. But deep down I still think I can play and I’m in the right condition.”
“That’s why I never closed my chance if any ever offer came.”
Douglas remained in shape during his coaching sessions. He would use his off-time to maintain his fitness levels. His hard work would be rewarded as after a three-year wait, he would get his opportunity to play again.
Division Two clubs in Navy and Chainat signed him in back-to-back seasons between 2021 and 2022, allowing the Brazilian to continue living his dream as a professional.
Despite not hitting his previous goals return height, to score 18 goals from those two years proved that he not only has the quality but still contained plenty of desire in his tank.
And that quality would continue to show, in more than just one sport.
Brazilian national sepak takraw team
Even at the age of 40, Douglas retains an impressive physique with his prowess in front of goal earning him an additional role upon his return to Ratchaburi as he was named as player-coach for the 2022/23 season.
But that wouldn’t be the most impressive thing in the Brazilian’s repertoire this calendar year. He was also seen featuring for Brazil’s national team in Thailand’s annual King’s Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship 2022.
“Honestly, you can probably feel the love I have for football. Most people my age would be retiring or doing something else but I still want to play.”
“When I was living in Saraburi back in 2015, I remembered that I would see people playing sepak takraw in the parks."
“I can tell you honestly, I’ve not even played the sport ten times. I think it’s even more difficult to learn than football. But just the love that I have for football made me want to try it.”
Douglas would get the chance to play the sport in a setting unlike none that he could have imagined and that came in July of 2022, when the annual King’s Cup Sepak Takraw World Championships took place in Bangkok, Thailand.
This was an event bringing together some of the biggest powerhouses in the sepak takraw sport to compete with one another. Surely it couldn't be the venue for a 40-year-old footballer to have a kick about?
“My friend who was organizing the event (Thanee Ruangsri) called me, he said that due to the COVID situation in Brazil, the national team couldn’t make it. So they asked around for Brazilian footballers who played the sport before to give it a try."
“All I was thinking was I had to defend my country. So I told him ‘I’m not good like foot volley but I can go enjoy with you’, just give me a date and time.”
Douglas partnered with Brazilian friend Marcos Wilder who plays in Thailand’s third division as the two became the first pro footballers to compete in the doubles event of the King’s Cup.
Despite the pair losing out in the first round in straight sets, Douglas doesn’t rule out a chance for another comeback next year.
“If I have the opportunity, next time I can be much better than now, I was a bit surprised when he invited me to come. So I’m sure with an earlier notice, I can train properly for it.”
“I see the jumps that people do and it’s a very difficult skill. I can’t do overhead kicks like them, I would break my back!”
“Taking Thailand to the World Cup is my dream”
Having received so many opportunities to fulfill his love for football over his 12-year period in Thailand, Douglas believes it’s time for him to give back to Thai people.
And he wants to do so through the sport he loves the most.
“I will never stop learning how to play football. I also want to share my ideas and knowledge with the people around me. I will always keep improving myself."
“I think the sport has done so much to my career and now it’s time for me to try to help others as well. Whether it’s improving the players, the coaches or anything related to football, I want to be a part of it.”
Other than helping hand through the use of the A License certificate that he’s about to earn, Douglas is also a father of two twins, Maicon and Yasmin, who are both born in Thailand. He hopes to train them to reach the national team level one day.
“If my kids are somehow eligible to play for Thailand, I would be more than happy to allow them to play. I want to help Thailand go to the World Cup. I would be very proud. I owe a lot to Thailand as a professional footballer and a person."
“I love this country and the people. So I will make sure I work to the best of my abilities to help improve Thai football,” Douglas shared.
From a boy who used football to get him to a better place in life and lifting the Brasileiro Serie A title to becoming a cult hero in the Thai League, to representing Brazil in the Sepak Takraw World Championships, Douglas has had a career unlike any other footballer.
His chapter on the pitch might be coming to its conclusion, but his passion for the beautiful game will remain strong for the rest of his life.
