Goalkeeper Willian Felipe Dorn, 29, is experiencing days of glory. In less than a month, he was voted the best goalkeeper in the world and then was the hero of Brazil’s victory in the futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan, which broke the team’s 12-year drought. He made 25 saves during the final against Argentina, which he won 2-1.
The country had great numbers in the competition. 40 goals were scored and only six conceded, with the best attack and the best defense. Willian was the best goalkeeper; winger Dyego was the star of the tournament and won the golden ball for best player; the steady Marlon won the silver ball, as second best player; and Marcel was the top scorer, with ten goals.
The final match took place on a Sunday, at lunchtime in Brazil. For Willian, it was the perfect moment for the team to show the people that Brazilian futsal continues to be relevant after Falcão’s retirement.
“We managed to show the people that Brazilian futsal is alive and that it has players with a lot of quality. They said that, when Falcão left the team, futsal would end. And, of course, Falcão is missed by everyone, by any team , imagine the team. But we showed that Brazilian futsal has several players who are the best in the world in their positions”, he stated.
Before taking the court for the decision against Argentina, Willian felt nervous. Until the first save in the match, “it looked like he had never played ball.”
“Diego, our captain, spoke a lot about the emotional issue during the competition. He always said: ‘Don’t take everything to the emotional side. Of course, emotion is important, but this is our job. We have to be cool’. I I made some important saves, but Marlon and Arthur were giant guys there, preventing goals from shots that passed me”, recalled the archer.
Right after 1-0, scored by Ferrão, Argentine Kevin Arrieta received the ball, pulled it to his left and came face to face with Willian. The Brazilian goalkeeper took two steps forward and blocked the shot with his left arm. From then on to 2-0, scored by Rafa Santos, there were two more important saves.
Less than a minute later, the goalkeeper was put to the test again. The Argentines played the ball in the middle until they found one of the wingers already inside the area. He took the first shot, but the Brazilian goalkeeper managed to jump in to hit the ball, which was subsequently thrown for a corner by the Brazilian defense. Another six interventions were necessary in the five minutes remaining in the first half.
The rivals’ goal only came with two minutes left in the match. And Willian made four saves until the end of the game, the last of which was ten seconds from the end.
The goalkeeper said he had read on social media that the Argentines considered it a “relief” that he was the starter, not Guitta, considered one of the best in the position in the history of Brazilian futsal. After the game ended, the daily Olé called the Brazilian the “great hero of the classic” and pointed out that “Argentina deserved more, but lost”.
“They create a narrative to say that they are better than us. We won, but they are better. We got the result and gave them the ball. In so many matches they did that against us. They didn’t know how to take advantage of that. Sometimes , they can’t even accept that they lost because we were better”, said Willian.
The trio of goalkeepers was made up of Willian, Guitta and Roncaglio. Thiago Mendes Rocha, Guitta, 37, had already been world champion in 2012. He works in Russia. Diego Roncaglio, 36, plays in Belgium. Both were Copa América champions in February this year, a competition in which Willian did not participate.
“Ah, if I were the coach, I would have put Guitta to play”, said Willian, laughing. “Imagine the pressure it was to manage all of this. But then I thought: ‘Man, I did my job. If I’m here as a starter, it’s because I did a good job’. And he and Roncaglio helped me a lot. If it was anyone I would help them too. I really thank them and the coach for their trust, because I’m the youngest and I was chosen.”
From the World Cup, held in Uzbekistan, Willian went to Russia, where he plays for Norilsk Nickel. The Brazilian is an idol of Joinville, a team he defended for 11 seasons, and was awarded the best goalkeeper in the world in 2023.
“Unfortunately, unfortunately, we weren’t able to return to Brazil. People say that the impact was really cool, we received a lot of messages, children asking us to send a video. It’s difficult to pay attention to everyone. I even hired a press office to help me with all this”, he said, in disbelief.
“I still can’t describe the feeling of being world champion, of stepping onto that court. We made great history, but it’s not something measurable. I pick up my gold glove, I look at the champion’s medal, but I still can’t to understand.”
