UEFA Futsal EURO 2022 will be held in the Netherlands from January 19 to February 6, 2022. In Fables of Futsal Voetbalzone tells the stories behind the participants in this European Championship. This third edition focuses on the secrets of Kazakhstan, the country that surprisingly can be counted as a futsal superpower. This is the story of South American players who want to conquer the European title on the other side of the world.
By Tim Klijn
Kazakhstan isn’t exactly the first country that the die-hard football fan thinks of when talking about the crème de la crème of football. Kazakhstan is only 119th in the world ranking in regular football. In Futsal, however, the Kazakh national team is anything but a small football country. The country is fourth in the European ranking and last summer came fourth at the World Cup. The clubs in the national futsal competition have been doing excellent in the Champions League for years. Keirat Almaty, by far the biggest club in Kazakhstan, even won the tournament twice, in 2013 and 2015. The secret of all Kazakh success comes from the other side of the Atlantic, more than 13,000 kilometers from Kazakhstan.
Brazil is the absolute top of the Futsal. The country already has five world titles and took medals in eight of the nine World Cups. The flip side, and the luck of Kazakhstan, is that there is so much talent that even Brazil’s number 200 could become a major player in other countries and competitions. The secret of Kazakhstan is naturalized Brazilians. And two of them in particular: Douglas Junior and Leo Higuita. The duo was born in Brazil, but has been playing in and for Kazakhstan for years. They probably wouldn’t look out of place in the current Brazilian team: Higuita has already been named the best goalkeeper in the world five times.
Leonardo de Melo Vieira Leite, as Higuita is called in full, was born in Rio de Janeiro and in his youth played at big clubs from his hometown such as Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama. Higuita, who started goalkeeping at the age of five, tried his luck outside the national borders for the first time in 2009 at Tulpar, the second club from Kazakhstan. After also playing for a year in Portugal, Keirat Almaty managed to sign the goalkeeper in 2011. From 2013, the world was able to get acquainted with the goalkeeper’s unique playing style. In the semi-finals of the Champions League, Higuita played as a fifth outfield player, frequently going away from his own goal, even hitting the target a number of times.
Because Higuita can often be found in the opponent’s half, fellow players can play to him as much as possible and he can keep the ball with him for as long as he wants. With his devastating shot and good technique it is extremely difficult for opponents to defend the surplus situation that Kazakhstan creates in this way. The keeper’s eccentric style of play earned him the nickname Higuita in his youth, after René Higuita, famous for his scorpion kick and the fact that he played so far from his target. In addition to his playing style, the keeper also stands out because he always plays with the number 2 shirt, where number 1 is usual for a keeper.
In 2014, a year after Higuita decided to play for Kazakhstan from now on, Douglas Júnior da Silva Negreiros arrived at Keirat Almaty. Like the 35-year-old goalkeeper, the two-year-younger central defender is naturally Brazilian. Douglas was born in Guamare, a port town in northeastern Brazil. In 2008, he left his native country to try his luck in the Czech Republic, after which Keirat Almaty picked him up a few years later. Despite playing as a central defender, Douglas stands out for his versatility. He scores almost every game. It has earned him the nickname Iron Man from Higuita, Douglas calls the keeper Captain America because of his saves and captaincy.
The two have been inseparable since the meeting at Keirat Almaty. Or as Douglas even said in an interview on the FIFA website: “Higita is like a brother I will know all my life.” In that same interview, the central defender said of the goalkeeper: “For me he is without a doubt the best goalkeeper ever. He works the hardest of all and he is sensational. He currently also deserves the award for the best player in the world, not just goalkeeper.” Higuita disagreed, citing Douglas as the best player in the world. It is just one example of many that show the affection between the two players.
‘Iron Man’ and Captain America’ are not the only Brazilians in the Kazakh national team. Taynan da Silva became the top goalscorer for the Kazakhs in qualifying for the European Championship 2022. The coach, Paulo Ricardo Figueira Silva, better known as Kaka (not to be confused with the former AC Milan and Real Madrid star), was also born in the country where samba football was invented. The influx of Brazilians has done the Eurasian country no harm. The local futsal players in Kazakhstan have risen in level to the South Americans and futsal is more popular than ever. The fourth place at the last World Cup in June is the direct result of that. Taynan scored six times, Douglas four times. Kazakhstan only lost in the semi-finals after penalties from the later winner Portugal and had to bow to Brazil in the battle for the bronze medal. Despite the rising level, the Kazakh team has a fairly empty trophy cabinet. A third place at the European Championship 2016 is the only top three placing in a final tournament so far.
The Kazakhs are eager to add more prizes to that. Higuita and Douglas have already passed their thirties. The two will soon pass the baton to the new rising star and fellow Brazilian Taynan Da Silva Redo, who was Kazakhstan’s top scorer at the 2021 World Cup. The 28-year-old ‘winger’ is also doing excellent in Europe. Taynan became the top scorer of the European Championship qualifiers for Kazakhstan and won the Champions League in 2021 with Sporting Portugal. Taynan was recommended to Keirat Almaty in 2017 after Higuita watched him play at a tournament in Dubai for Iran’s Mes Sungun. In 2019 Brazilian-tinted Keirat Almaty lost the final of the Champions League to Sporting Portugal, after which Taynan transferred directly to the Portuguese club. He currently plays in Spain for ElPozo Murcia, which finished second in the Champions League in 2020. Together with Junior, Taynan must provide Kazakhstan with goals at the upcoming European Championship.
That will not be easy. The Eurasian country is indeed the absolute favorite in Group B, with a fourth place in the European ranking. Still, Group B is the most evenly matched on paper, with Italy (8), Slovenia (11) and Finland (14). Kazakhstan defeated the Italians in the quarterfinals of the Euro 2016 5-2. Still, Kazakhstan will have to be wary of the Mediterranean opponent. Italy has won its qualifying group by signing it, having already won the tournament once in 2003 and 2014. The Slovenians cannot be underestimated either. In 2018 they reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship in their own country. Finland debuts in a final tournament, but will give everything to make the first tournament entry shine. This European Championship is one of the last chances for Higuita and Douglas to grab the title with Kazakhstan and they will be eager to crown their strong friendship with the highest achievable.