They started calling him ‘Babalu’ when he was knee-high. It was because when Alex Merlim first started kicking a ball around, as a kid in Douradas, Central-West Brazil, he incessantly chewed on gum known as ‘Bubbaloo’.

If they’d have waited a short while they’d have had an alternative cohesive reason to give him the nickname. Size-three balls have, indeed, stuck to his feet like glue thereafter. Popularly regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, and one of the most thrilling of all time, Alex inspired Italy to bronze at the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ in 2012, UEFA Futsal EURO glory two years later, and has helped Sporting amazingly reach six of the last seven UEFA Futsal Champions League finals.

Os Leões may still be a superpower but, as the 37-year-old wing reluctantly accepts, La Nazionale have fallen from grace. An early futsal force, Italy have suffered group-stage elimination at the last two continental finals and failed to reach Lithuania 2021. Italy could, however, return to the global stage following qualifying showdowns with Slovenia and Spain.

FIFA caught up with Alex to discuss his international success, his Uzbekistan 2024 mission, Sporting’s aspirations and why he was annoyed to miss out on being crowned the Best Player on the planet.