Manchester City Stopper Ederson Reveals how Rejection Almost Made him Quit Football

​Manchester City shot-stopper, Ederson, has revealed how constant rejections from football clubs almost made him turn his back on the sport. The Brazilian goalkeeper is now hailed as one of the best in the business, but sadly, the journey to the top wasn’t always as smooth.

The player faced many rejections during his formative years, but one particular rejection, of San Paulo, left him ‘depressed’ and almost made him hang up his gloves for good.

His first European club, Benfica, too, turned him away and even Ribeirao in Portugal’s lower leagues let him depart for free. 

Recalling the Sao Paulo rejection, he told Mirror: “It was a difficult situation. I was only 15 years old and I went through a tough moment, spent one month depressed and was thinking of quitting. Luckily, my parents supported me and encouraged me to go back to playing.”

As a child, he idolised Sao Paulo keeper, Rogerio Ceni, who scored 131 goals throughout his decorated 25-year-long career. 

“The passion I had for being a goalkeeper made me follow the career of Rogerio Ceni,” he said. 

“Even now I still watch videos of him on YouTube and he still gives me inspiration today.”

After realising Ederson’s potential, Benfica re-signed the player from Rio Ave for £450,000. He eventually edged out Julio Cesar to become the team’s first-choice keeper, ultimately helping them win back-to-back league titles before signing for City in 2017.