CEDRIC SOARES cannot put his finger on exactly why he has been a fighter throughout his whole career.
As a youngster, he was one of the darlings of Sporting Lisbon’s academy, “a pretty boy”, he says, but when he made the jump to the first team that changed.
“I was a pretty boy in terms of everyone already knew me in the youth team,” he tells Standard Sport.
“I was the captain of the youth national team, captain of Sporting Lisbon’s [youth team]. I was growing in this beautiful world and sometimes you need this shock.
“I came to the first team and I was 19 years old, in one season I played five or six games. It was a shock.
“I asked to go on loan, I went on loan. I fought for what I got, nobody gave me anything. I am very proud of it.”
Just like back then, the hard work is paying off for the 30-year-old rightback, as his fine form for Arsenal earned him a recall to the Portugal squad.
Cedric has excelled so much for Arsenal over the past few months that even though Takehiro Tomiyasu could be fit to face Crystal Palace tonight, the Japan international faces a fight to win his place back.
Esta historia es de la edición April 04, 2022 de Evening Standard.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 04, 2022 de Evening Standard.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Only £65k a month to live like Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer listed his house for £17m in 2022, turning down offers. Now, he's looking for a tenant
Welcome to London, unicorn capital of Europe
We're flying far ahead of anywhere outside US for tech investment
Arteta's Arsenal evolution The next phase
Malik Ouzia and Simon Collings assess how the Spaniard will try to bring down Man City after he signs up for another three years with the title in his sights
Title fight catches fire after Gunners embrace dark side
Arsenal-City clashes take on a welcome edge of animosity
Whack the hippy gong-boho's back
It happened in Paris one grey February day. Sienna Miller was in an oversized, black leather jacket, lace-trimmed silk slip and clumpy great wedges.
There's a Starlink waiting in the sky... 7,000 in fact.Can Elon Musk stop them crashing to Earth?
As he was preparing his fields for seeding this year, Barry Sawchuk came across a giant slab of space debris. It had come from a spacecraft belonging to Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
'Politicians are only into power-mongering, corruption and cronyism'
We speak to alt revolutionary DEEPAK CHOPRA about biomarkers, his digital twin and his work to save humanity from disease
I've been waiting for a production of Godotthis brilliant all my life
Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati bring a potent, tragicomic chemistry to James Macdonald’s rich revival of Samuel Beckett’s challenging play.
Trust me, the Ritz is London's bestrestaurant
To whom we turn in moments of gloom and glory can be instructive, a filter of our truest friends. I've fallen out with the Ritz a couple of times, including once after a visit to the bar which didn’t warrant a review (“But you said it was lovely!” they said.
'Healing is a dirty word'
After four traumatic years, FKA twigs is back with a new album -and a thrilling metamorphosis
