Renan Lodi is a Brazilian soccer player. He plays as a defender and his current team is Atlético Madrid from the Spanish First Division. He has been an international player for the Brazilian soccer team since 2019. Here are some interesting things about Renan Lodi most people don’t know.
Renan Lodi: 10 Things From Sellings Cans To Playing For Brazil
1. Quick Facts:
- Full Name: Renan Augusto Lodi dos Santos
- Born in: Serrana, São Paulo State, Brazil
- Date of birth: April 8, 1998
- Nationality: Brazil
- Age: 23
- Height: 1,78 m
- Weight: 74 kg
- Preferred foot: Left
- ELO: 72
- Potential: 81
- REAP: 1.72
- Status: Active
- Club: Atletico Madrid
2. This left-back comes from Athletico Paranaense:
Lodi was born on April 8, 1998, in Serrana, a small city in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo that does not have a professional soccer club. He started at a football school, in Serrana (SP), then went to Meninos da Vila, in Ribeirão Preto (SP). He tested at Corinthians and at Santos and was even approved at Corinthians, but had to go every Monday despite the distance. So instead he ended up going back to school and stayed another year.
After that, he went to Curitiba, in Trieste, and finally ended up going to Athletico Paranaense and stayed for more than seven years.
The Brazilian footballer joined the Athletico Paranaense youth team in 2012. Here, he rose to the first team in 2016, marking his professional football premier on October 14 of that year against Grêmio for the 2016 Brazilian Championship.
In that match, the Brazilian footballer’s team was defeated by the slightest difference with Renan Lodi participating during the entire match at left-back with the 98 jersey number.
He achieved his first title with Athletico Paranaense when he won the 2018 Paranaense Championship and scored his first official goal opening the scoring in the 5-0 win over Maringá, already settling as a starter and playing the two finals against Coritiba. By then, the 19-year-old young footballer had already had his contract extended until March 2021.
3. He is an extraordinary offensive winger:
On June 28, 2019, Atlético Madrid and Athletico Paranaense reached an agreement in principle, making their signing official on July 7 of the same year, with Lodi signing a six-year contract with the Spanish club.
His pass was around 20 million euros, being the largest transfer in the club’s history and at the same time the most expensive sale of a Brazilian club for a winger, surpassing Danilo’s pass from Santos to Porto (13 million euros) in 2011.
4. Renan Lodi played internationally with the Brazilian soccer team:
Without actually playing any match with the U23 team, he was summoned on September 9, 2019 by Tite for the senior team. On October 10, 2019, he made his debut for Brazil in a friendly match against Senegal that ended in a 1-1 draw.
During this event, Lodi replaced Alex Sandro at minute 79. In his fourth match on November 19 of the same year with his national team, the Brazilian gave two assists, one for Lucas Paquetá and the other for Danilo, in the 3-0 victory over South Korea.
“Being in the national team is a feeling of great joy. It’s the pinnacle for any player, a child’s dream come true. I have to keep working at Atletico Madrid in order to continue serving the Brazilian team. We carry our flag and being able to represent the country is a dream I am living. With each new call, it’s a film that goes through your head and an extra responsibility”, he told ESPN.
5. Renan Lodi got COVID-19 last year:
But soon, the athlete was back training at Atletico Madrid admitting that he felt very good after a delayed return.
His club made no official announcement on their social media page but seemed to confirm the fact that he had contracted COVID by posting a picture of the absent left-back on Twitter with the caption: “Renan Lodi salutes you from home. See you soon on the pitch!”
But he was quarantined and then tested negative, clearing aiming to make a comeback.
6. Renan Lodi experienced a difficult childhood without his mother’s presence:
In an interview with ESPN, Renan recalled that he lived with his father and his grandparents. He said his grandfather and grandmother were instrumental in his upbringing.
He said that he was created by them and that they were the ones who did everything to give him money so he could train, especially when he couldn’t get cans to sell. He said that his grandfather was the guy who most believed in his potential and always did the impossible to make everything work out.
Although he could have taken the wrong path, Lodi opted for football and fought for his dream.
7. As a child, he sold cans:
In order to play football, he sold cans so that he could pay the ticket and have a way to train in another city. On other days he used to fly a kite and play ball in the street at home.
A young Renan Lodi’s football idols were Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Kaká, Robinho. But as an adult, his idols are Filipe Luis, Alex Sandro, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Coutinho, Neymar. They are players that he said he always admired and that he is now able to live with them in the national team.
8. From boy to pro:
Leaving home early was tough because he found it difficult, staying away from his grandparents, his father, and friends. At first, he missed them a lot, but he had to get over it in order to fulfill his dreams to become a professional player and help his family.
On his way to becoming a pro, he said he remembered going to the Arena to watch a game and they called him saying that Paulo Autuori wanted him to start training with the professional team. He was very young, but he always worked waiting for this opportunity and soon made his debut against Grêmio, in Porto Alegre. This would change his life forever.
9. In his beginnings, he was a striker:
When he arrived at Athletico Paranaense, he started playing at left-back. He told ESPN he got a taste for the position, learned to play there and can now consider himself a full-back.
10. Playing for Atletico Madrid:
When asked about how Atlético Madrid came about, he told ESPN: “Getting the attention of a European giant is not easy. When this possibility came up, I was very happy. But I believe that everything I did at Athletico aroused that interest. Always with the help of Athletico Paranaense and my companions, who made me be here today. Paulo Autuori, Fernando Diniz and Tiago Nunes are coaches who trusted in my work and helped me a lot. There was the help of a lot of people so that I could reach Atletico Madrid”.
