Gui Ruck
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Guilherme Militão de Oliveira Ruck Veja[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2009 (age 14–15) | ||
| Place of birth | Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Flamengo | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| Mundo da Bola | |||
| R9 Academy | |||
| Álvares Cabral | |||
| Porto Vitória | |||
| 2018–2019 | Vitória Guimarães | ||
| 2019 | Braga | ||
| 2019 | Porto | ||
| 2020–2022 | Rayo Majadahonda | ||
| 2022–2024 | Real Valladolid | ||
| 2024– | Flamengo | ||
Guilherme Militão de Oliveira Ruck Veja (born 2009), known as Gui Ruck, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Flamengo.
Early life
[edit]Ruck was born in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and moved to Vitória in the state of Espírito Santo at the age of five.[2][3] It was in Rio that he developed his love for football, and he would play in local courts as a child with other children older than himself.[4]
Club career
[edit]Early career
[edit]Brazil and Portugal
[edit]Having started his career in Espírito Santo with the youth teams of Mundo da Bola and R9 Academy, Ruck would leave the state, going on to play futsal for Clube Álvares Cabral, as well as for the academy of semi-professional side Porto Vitória.[2]
In 2017 his father decided to move the family to Portugal, and they settled in Guimarães, where his father met Brazilian footballer Davidson through mutual friends.[5] Davidson invited the family to stay in his home for a month and a half, and after he joined Portuguese side Vitória Guimarães in 2018, he took Ruck to trial with the side.[5]
It took only two days of trialling for Vitória Guimarães to offer Ruck a place in their academy, but after a month and a half he was spotted by Braga; having been on the bench in a youth game between the sides and the score 2–0 to Braga, Ruck was brought on as a substitute and scored a hat-trick to win the game 3–2.[5] He was invited to trial with Braga, and after signing with the club, he went on to score eighty-seven goals in the next four months.[5]
These performances caught the eye of Porto, and having been invited to visit the club's facilities, he scored five goals in a training match against the older age group side, and was offered a place in the academy.[5] Despite performing well in Porto's academy, Ruck was described as unhappy by his father, who also claimed that the other players would bully Ruck because he was a better player than they were, also accusing them of having xenophobic attitudes towards his son.[3][5]
Move to Spain
[edit]Having performed well against them in the final of a youth tournament, Ruck was invited to move to Spain and join Atlético de Madrid.[6] The family made the move in January 2020, and he joined the academy of Rayo Majadahonda in Madrid, an affiliate of Atlético, due to issues with his paperwork.[5][6] His performances at Rayo Majadahonda again drew the interest of bigger clubs, with Real Madrid and Barcelona being touted as potential suitors.[5]
It was in Madrid that Ruck's family met agent Luiz Rocha, and after taking him on as a client, Rocha introduced him to Ronaldo and Paulo André, directors at then-La Liga side Real Valladolid.[4] He participated in a youth tournament in France with Real Valladolid, and after scoring three goals and assisting five, he was offered a place in the club's academy for the 2022–23 season.[4] In his first twenty-three games with the club, he contributed eight goals and fourteen assists, and this form drew attention from a number of top clubs in Europe.[3]
Return to Brazil
[edit]In July 2023, he was reportedly subject to an offer from Brazilian side Flamengo.[7] In May 2024 he was strongly linked with English sides Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, going as far as to travel to England to reportedly negotiate terms.[8] He was also approached by Spanish and French clubs Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively, but ultimately returned to Brazil, signing a three-year contract with Flamengo.[9] Upon signing in August 2024, he stated "it's a very special day in my life", and that it was an "honour to wear the shirt of this giant club that is Flamengo" on his Instagram page.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Ruck became the youngest footballer to sign a contract with German sportswear manufacturer Adidas, when he did so in 2019.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Gui Ruck, a promessa do futebol brasileiro" [Gui Ruck, the promise of Brazilian football]. rfi.fr (in Portuguese). 21 April 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b Nicchio, Vitor (11 August 2022). "Radicado no Espírito Santo, Guilherme Ruck, ex-Porto Vitória, inicia pré-temporada na base do Real Valladolid" [Based in Espírito Santo, Guilherme Ruck, ex-Porto Vitória, starts pre-season at Real Valladolid's base]. ge.globo.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Arantes, Mateus (27 March 2023). "Alvo de gigantes europeus, brasileiro de 14 anos brilha na Espanha" [Target of European giants, 14-year-old Brazilian shines in Spain]. metropoles.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Moraes, Cristian (18 September 2022). "Conheça Guilherme Ruck, joia do Real Valladolid com ascensão meteórica na Europa" [Meet Guilherme Ruck, Real Valladolid's jewel with meteoric rise in Europe]. premierleaguebrasil.com.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Natan, Jorge; Cerqueira, Rodrigo (19 August 2022). "Valladolid aposta na joia brasileira Gui Ruck, que busca inspiração em Neymar e Cristiano Ronaldo" [Valladolid bets on Brazilian jewel Gui Ruck, who seeks inspiration from Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo]. ge.globo.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ a b Juanmartí, Toni (1 November 2023). "El Barça entra en la puja por Gui Ruck, la nueva perla brasileña" [Barça enters the bid for Gui Ruck, the new Brazilian pearl]. sport.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ Moreira, Rian (15 July 2023). "Flamengo negocia contratação do meia Guilherme Ruck para a base, joia do Real Valladolid" [Flamengo negotiates signing of midfielder Guilherme Ruck for the base, jewel of Real Valladolid]. urubuinterativo.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ Sans, Gabriel (3 May 2024). "'Gui' Ruck tiene decidido un futuro en Europa y no apunta al Barça" ['Gui' Ruck has decided on a future in Europe and is not aiming for Barça]. mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Gomes, Fred; Cerqueira, Rodrigo; Lima, Thiago (31 July 2024). "Flamengo chega a acordo para contratar joia brasileira que atuava no Valladolid, de Ronaldo" [Flamengo reaches agreement to hire Brazilian gem who played for Ronaldo's Valladolid]. ge.globo.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ Domínguez, Jesús (22 August 2024). "Gui Ruck emigra" [Gui Ruck emigrates]. as.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- 2009 births
- Living people
- People from Angra dos Reis
- Footballers from Rio de Janeiro (state)
- Brazilian men's footballers
- Men's association football midfielders
- Vitória S.C. players
- S.C. Braga players
- FC Porto players
- CF Rayo Majadahonda players
- Real Valladolid players
- CR Flamengo footballers
- Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
- Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
- Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
- Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
- Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
- 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen