“[Cristiano] Ronaldo once said that if he didn’t experience stomach pain, it meant he had lost his passion for football,” said Romarinho. “If you’re tense at the start, it means you are taking on responsibility.”

The Brazilian was nervous at the outset of the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023™. He’d been out for over a month with a muscle injury. He was picked to start ahead of marquee signing Jota. Al Ittihad, playing in front of their worshipping yet demanding public, simply had to beat Auckland City in front of a record crown for an opening match in the competition.The Navy Blues began threatening to spoil the electric atmosphere, defending resolutely and looking sharp on the break. That was until Romarinho fizzed home the first just before the half-hour mark. Two goals followed before half-time, from N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, and 3-0 is how it finished.

“I’m really happy because, coming back from injury, I knew I could only play 45 minutes,” Romarinho, who played closer to an hour, told FIFA post-game. “I tried to do my best but, coming back from injury, you know you have to hold back a bit. But thank God it went well and we got the victory.”

“I think it took us a while to get going,” said Igor Coronado. “But we found the first goal, and that facilitated our style of play and took the pressure off.”

Next up for Ittihad is a mouth-watering, all-Arab showdown against Al Ahly.

“It will be a good game,” said Romarinho. “Without doubt it will be a tough game. But we believe in our side. We’ll prepare well for the match.

“They like to play football, they mark tightly. We will have to stay really concentrated, get all the little things right to get the win.”

Coronado believes the arrival of experienced, esteemed foreigners has enhanced Ittihad significantly.

“Things are easier now [with Benzema],” he said. “I hope we can help him on the pitch too. Not just Benzema but Fabinho, Kante – all these players who came from abroad,

“They have that extra experience, so we have to take advantage of this moment. We know the Al Ahly team a little bit. They’re very aggressive, they run a lot.”

Coronado and Romarinho are fully focussed on Ahly, but as Brazilians, it’s impossible not to drool over a semi-final against Fluminense.

“It would be really good,” said Romarinho. “They’re a really strong team, they were champions of the Libertadores, a really difficult competition.

“We follow Brazilian football. Their team passes the ball really well, [Fernando] Diniz has quality players. First we’re thinking about Ahly, but if we manage to get through it will be a really difficult game.”