Enemies for 40 minutes, amigos for eternity. That’s the case for Dario Marinovic and Pito.
They met when a 24-year-old Pito left Brazil in 2016. Nervous, he walked into an ElPozo Murcia locker room containing Bebe, Miguellin, Fernando Cardinal, Alex Yepes and Raul Campos. Marinovic, two years Pito’s senior and one of the best wingers on the planet, immediately made him feel at home. It was the start of a firm friendship – one which will be temporarily put on hold on Tuesday evening when Brazil battle Croatia at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™.
FIFA caught up with Marinovic and Pito to hear what they think of one another.
Pito on Marinovic the player…
“Dario’s a great player. I saw that first-hand when I played against him. He has so much quality, both as a pivot or a winger. He can even play at the back sometimes. He’s very versatile. We managed to win two titles together at ElPozo.”
Marinovic on Pito the player…
“He’s a magnificent player, a fantastic player. I’m very proud that I can say I played alongside him for two-and-a-half years. When he arrived at ElPozo, being honest, I would have never said he would become the best player in the world. But he worked so hard every day to improve his game, improve his career. After six months, a year, I was sure that he could be the best player. He’s positive, he’s perfect. He’s a great example for players and children.”
Pito on his friendship with Marinovic…
“I have a lot of affection for Dario. He loves to play cards (laughs). We played poker on the coach while travelling to and from games. He’s very competitive off the court too!”
Marinovic on his friendship with Pito…
“I have a lot of memories of Pito. We had a lot of good nights out together, with the team, when we were celebrating important victories. He’s always a very funny guy, he’s always in the middle of everything that’s going on.
“We played poker one-on-one and against other team-mates. What I can tell you for certain is that, at poker, I’m better than him. He needs to learn a lot to be a good poker player. I would suggest this to him: keep training for futsal, Pito, because at poker, I don’t see much potential!”
