Jackson may have been his name, but his dream wasn’t to follow Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael into pop stardom. The sounds he wanted to create were from footballs flying into nets. The towering goals were to become a pro footballer and to represent Brazil.

The green-belly – the curious name for someone from Santa Catarina – checked box one. He did not, however, manage to slink into that canary-yellow uniform. It mattered not, he told people: he would fulfil target two through his son.

He had two: Jan Jackson and Jean Pierre. In the late noughties, while the latter was flitting from handing out pamphlets on the beach to working as a waiter to a salesman in a clothing store, the former was en route to realising daddy’s dream. Jan was the most-hyped prospect on the books of Internacional – a club that had just catapulted Alexandre Pato into the limelight.

Fifteen years on, one brother works as a salesman and the other fulfils his father’s fantasy by kicking balls for Brazil. Astonishingly, however, it’s Jan Jackson who trades medical equipment and Jean Pierre who represents the Seleção Brasileira at futsal.

Pito, as he is known, doesn’t just play for Brazil. One of the most exhilarating and unique players the sport has ever seen, the Barcelona pivot was, at the age of 32 last month, named the Best Player in the World for the first time.

FIFA caught up with Pito to discuss that triumph, his unusual route to the top, the upcoming Futsal Copa America, Brazil’s rivalry with Argentina and his determination to win the FIFA Futsal World Cup™.

Jackson had a big prospect as a son, but it wasn’t you, right?
Pito: (laughs) My brother was the jewel of the family. He was really, really good. He pursued 11-a-side. He played for Internacional at U-20 level and was training with the senior team, but he had to undergo two knee surgeries. He no longer had cartilage, he couldn’t train every day. The doctor told him he would have to stop playing or, when he got to 40, he wouldn’t be able to walk. So he quit playing and the burden was left on my shoulders (laughs). Someone in the family had to make it. I wanted to follow in the footsteps on my dad when I was young, become an 11-a-side player, but my journey took me to futsal. Thank God it came off and here I am.

Is it true that you only got signed by your first club because, when they wanted to sign Jan, your mother insisted he would only join them if they signed you too?
(laughs) It’s true. I was seven, eight. They really wanted him to join, they were on at him, but my mother said, ‘He only goes if his brother goes too’ (laughs). They only accepted it because my brother was really good. I owe him for that!

Can you tell us about quitting futsal in your late teens?
I stopped playing twice. The first was because I could no longer study on mornings. I had to study in the afternoon, which was when I trained. After a year I was able to change my slot and went back to playing futsal. I played for another couple of years but then I had quit again because the club I played for didn’t have a team for my age group. They invested everything into the professional ranks. It was either play for the senior team or nothing. I was still young and, to be honest, I wasn’t that good at the time, so I had to go out and get a job. I worked handing out pamphlets, as a waiter, at a clothing store. I didn’t last at anything though!

How did it feel to play in the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time?
I was the realisation of a dream. Obviously my dream also included becoming a world champion. Unfortunately we lost in the semi-finals, but we were then able to win a medal. The World Cup is something else, it’s the pinnacle of the sport, it has the whole world watching. I realised a dream by playing in the World Cup in 2021, and now I am determined to realise another dream by winning it this year.

First Brazil have to claim one of the fourth berths on offer at the Copa America…
Qualifying for the World Cup gets harder and harder. We have to train, prepare as hard as possible because if we’re anything below our very best, we won’t make it. People talk about Brazil and Argentina, but there are so many good sides in South America.

Argentina and Brazil being in the same group makes it even tougher, right?
It’s a different situation. Argentina and Brazil are always the seeded teams in the draw. We weren’t because we lost to Argentina in the semi-finals at the last Copa America. We’re in the same group, we play them in the last game, it will be a very difficult game, but I hope we can win it this time. The last three tournament I’ve played in against Argentina, we’ve lost. It’s hard to take, it gets at you. It’s bad enough to lose three times running to any team, but against your biggest rivals it really hurts.

O que dizer desse golaço do Pito na final das eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de Futsal?

Apesar de ter aberto o placar, o Brasil foi superado por 3 a 1 pela Argentina. As duas seleções se classificaram para a disputa do Mundial da Lituânia.

Portugal have dominated futsal in recent years. What do you think of this Portugal team?
You don’t win anything overnight. Portugal worked very hard for a long time to be the best. They had outstanding players like Ricardinho, Cardinal but the big titles eluded them. Finally their hard work started to bear fruit and nobody can deny they’ve dominated in recent years. Ricardinho consecrated his incredible career at the World Cup, and then passed the baton on. Portugal have a lot of great players to carry it.

How do you think Brazil compare to Portugal?
I think Brazil have, without doubt, the best players in the world. I think in previous cycles what’s handicapped us is that during the FIFA breaks, we haven’t been able to get everyone together. It’s been just the players based in Brazil or just the ones based in Europe. This cycle has been different. Marquinhos has been able to get everyone together, we’ve developed an understanding. I think this will make a big difference in tight games.

How did it feel last month, at the age of 32, to be crowned the Best Player in the World for the first time?
It was a great honour. I was delighted. There are so many amazing players who were deserving of this award, so to get it was really special. I think I’m in a great moment in my career. I’m more mature and I had a really good year, managed to stay consistent. It was determined to have a really good year because it was in the lead-up to the Copa America and the World Cup, which is extremely important to me. The award was a big honour for me and my family.

The last time someone outside the city of Chapecó was crowned the Best Player in the World was back in 2018…
(laughs) Chapecó, we love our city. It’s not too big. It’s almost impossible that this has happened. Two guys, two pivots, both at Barcelona, both being named the best in the world. It’s unbelievable when you think about it. It’s really gratifying for us both and for Chapecó.

A Seleção passou quatro dias na Inglaterra se preparando para os amistosos contra a Espanha.

Os craques, Ferrão e Pito, aproveitaram para desfilar o talento nos pontos turísticos mais visitados do mundo, a London Eye, e a Tower Bridge.

You’ve known Ferrao since you were a kid…
We played together for a short time when we were around nine, ten. He only stayed AABB for around six months. He wasn’t happy with something went to CRS, so we went from being team-mates to rivals. I’ve known him, his family for a long time. I get on really well with his dad, his mum. I didn’t speak to him for a long time, because he left Chapecó early. He was more advanced than me, his body had developed earlier. It took me longer to get to Europe. Now we’re together at Barcelona. It’s really cool. He’s a great guy.

What do you think of him as a player?
A superstar. Without any shadow of doubt. He is the best in the world. His style of play is incomparable to everyone else’s. It’s a real shame that he’s had the injuries – for Brazil, for Barcelona, for futsal. But I know Ferrao. He’ll be back and he’ll be back to being the best.

You mention Ferrao’s style, but people say, given your size and skillset, that you’re one of the most unique players in futsal history. Do you agree?
I think I’m different. I think there has been other different players. Fernandinho, another Brazilian, was one. I don’t think I’m your typical pivot. I go out wide to dribble, to create, and I get back to defend. I try to do a bit of everything. I always try to do my best at every aspect of the game. Yes, I think I’m a little bit unique.

One of your specialities is the bicycle kick. How did you get so good at this and, given the hard surfaces, can you possibly train doing them?
It’s something I’ve done since I was little. I house I grew up, we had a big space with grass for us to play football on. I played with my brother, my friends. I always loved trying different things, and bicycle kicks were on of them. The first one I pulled off in futsal, when I was playing for Carlos Barbosa, wasn’t something I planned. It was something that happened naturally. It was there for the bicycle kick and because I’d mastered the technique as a kid, I went for it. From then on it’s been a weapon for me. But it’s not something I can ever train – if I keep landing on a hard court over and over again I think I’d break my back!

You play alongside Dyego for Barcelona and Brazil. What do you think of the form he’s been in?
He’s another sensational player. Extremely talented. He doesn’t get the recognition he deserves from the futsal world. He doesn’t communicate much on social media and I think because of this, he doesn’t get talked about as much as he should. But everyone who plays alongside him or against him knows what a magnificent player he is. He has so many qualities and is one of the best players in the world.