Idolised by the fans for that legendary goal against Leicester, Deeney is Jefferson´s favourite player. “He´s our captain, an icon. He is tall, strong and a real fighter,” Jefferson says. The Brazilian also cites other players, such as Gerard Deulofeu (who he calls Deuslofeu, a play on the word Deus, which means God in Portuguese), the French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucuré and, of course, his countryman Gomes.
In addition to the 2013 match against Leicester, another moment that lives long in Jefferson’s memory as a Watford fan was the heroic win against Wolves in the 2019 FA Cup semi-final. Watford came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Jefferson actually followed all the goals through a WhatsApp chat, as his internet connection failed during the game.
“I was trying to stream the match, but the connection kept falling. I ended up following the score on the Watford Brazil chat, where the members were posting updates on the game. That´s how I learned about the goals we scored.”
And the video games that initially sparked Jefferson’s love affair with Watford still play a major role in his support of the club. He of course plays FIFA´s Career Mode as Watford, who he managed to lead for an impressive 10 seasons, winning the UEFA Champions League twice.
In a quick match of FIFA 20 against Watford´s biggest rivals, Luton Town, Jefferson showed some serious tactical knowledge, creating a custom formation for the team and using his favourite players in an attacking 4-5-1.
He also plays the Premier League´s Fantasy Football game with his friends, always trying to fit some of the Hornets players in his squad. “Sometimes my friends will make fun of me, saying some player from Watford ruined their weekly score on EPL Fantasy, but they´re just taunting me.”
Brazil may well be the Country of Football, but this Brazilian’s footballing heart lies in another.
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