An icon of the masses, Neymar Jr. has once again been mentioned as one of the great inspirations of an athlete who is dedicated to a discipline very far from football, race walking. After winning the unprecedented silver medal at the Paris Olympics, Caio Bonfim has been recognized as a great fan of the Al-Hilal footballer, a player who, according to his father and coach, was always his great inspiration.
Despite excelling in athletics, Caio Bonfim could have been a top-level footballer, according to his own father, who chose to redirect him down the path of walking and athletics after overcoming a medical condition that affected his bones:
“He told me: ‘I want to be like Neymar’ and I told him, you’re not going to be like Neymar, but you can be the Neymar of the march,” confessed his father, João Sena, to the microphones of ESPN Brasil.
Neymar da marcha atlética? 🥈🇧🇷
Prata em Paris 2024, Caio Bonfim lembra início no futebol e inspiração em craque brasileiro #ESPNemParis https://t.co/mUq5JkF5AR
— ESPN Brasil (@ESPNBrasil) August 1, 2024
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Caio Bonfim’s admiration for Neymar Jr.
According to the aforementioned media, before focusing his sports career on athletics, Caio Bonfim was in the Brasiliense youth team after overcoming his medical condition that affected his bones and bent his legs. However, his father always knew that Bonfim had a future in another discipline and pushed him to put aside his dream of being a footballer to focus on athletics:
“Caio was a football player, I can say that he was a crack. He shot well with both legs, so much so that he played left back despite being right-handed. He was an excellent passer, one of those guys who plays with his teammates while standing in front of the goal. I saw many games resolved thanks to Caio’s passes, but he was also a goalscorer, he scored many goals,” his father confessed.
Despite Caio’s desire to be a footballer, his family environment, which focused on athletics, encouraged him to leave football aside to focus on walking:
“I started to get involved with his idea of playing football because he had no chance (of being a professional). I told him: ‘Son, if you one day dedicate yourself to walking, you will be a star’. But he told me: ‘I want to be Neymar’ and I replied: ‘Look, you are not going to be like Neymar, but you can be the Neymar of walking. Walking needs a hero and I have in my head that you are going to be a great athlete who will promote walking’. Modesty aside, I ended up being right,” said João Sena, proud of his decision.
PRATA PARA O BRASIL! 🥈
Caio Bonfim faz história e conquista a primeira medalha brasileira na marcha atlética em #JogosOlímpicos!
Parabéns, Caio! Você é um FENÔMENO!#TimeBrasil #Paris2024 #Medley pic.twitter.com/qI3XbG4KLy
— Time Brasil (@timebrasil) August 1, 2024
After participating in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 was finally the year in which Caio Bonfim was able to make his entire family’s dream come true, winning an unprecedented silver medal in the 20km race walk. With a medal in hand and dreams fulfilled, Bonfim said he was happier than ever:
“Still unique feelings. We are digesting everything that is happening. A lot of happiness with this dream come true, with this medal, this historic dream for the people. Oh, gosh, I am an Olympic medalist. I am an Olympic medalist. A lot of work, a lot of dedication for this moment,” he said, visibly moved.
The boy who struggled to walk as a child and saw Neymar as his great inspiration may not have achieved his dream of playing football like his idol, but he did become the hero who, like Neymar in Rio 2016, brought home the medal that was missing from his country’s Olympic list of achievements.
As a popular Argentine journalist would say, football is about dreams that come true.
