When he first arrived at Perak, few people within the country actually knew what he was capable of. He was on the fringes of Muangthong United when they opted to ship him out on loan to Perak halfway through 2013, but Rangel made an instant impact in the Super League, scoring 9 goals to immediately establish himself as a fan favourite. But he opted to depart and sign for Selangor in 2014, a move that ended up being stellar for both parties. Selangor had a strong run in the Super League, finishing a close second behind Johor DT and Rangel himself finished the season as top scorer with 16 goals. But what followed after that was sheer controversy, with the Brazilian forward slamming the Red Giants through his social media accounts, claiming that they were not fulfilling his contractual terms. Next thing you know, he moved over to Terengganu for a fresh start. Rangel is currently preparing with the Turtles for the upcoming season as we caught up with him for a quick chat!
FO: You recently made the switch from Selangor to Terengganu. And you even scored a hat-rick in that friendly game against LionsXII. How are you enjoying life in the East Coast so far?
PR: I am very happy of course. Things are a little different. The city is quiet and my kids have a good school as well. So I’m really focused on having a solid season here.
FO: Is there any major difference between both teams? Did you have to adapt differently after joining Terengganu?
PR: The only difference is that Selangor are far bigger in terms of reputation. But football is never about reputation and matches aren’t won with it. I am very pleased with what I see here. Everyone is an excellent professional and the local players are also of great quality. I hope the new foreign players can mingle with the rest of the squad as soon as possible and that should help us have a brilliant season.
FO: How frustrated were you with the entire Selangor problem? Could you explain what exactly happened?
PR: I was really sad, because I wasn’t given the respect I deserved. Before the Malaysia Cup kicked off last year, I received several offers, including a renewal offer from Selangor. I accepted to stay out of respect for the club and the fans who have always supported me. I signed a new two-year contract with them and I was delighted. They promised to pay my signing on fee a few days later and these days turned into three months. They did not respect me so I decided to leave.
FO: After your return from Brazil, did Selangor talk through the problem and offer to solve it for you?
PR: They never did that. All they did was just offer promises after promises.
FO: Besides Terengganu, were there any other team interested in you? Why did you choose Terengganu?
PR: As I mentioned, I had several offers before the Malaysia Cup started but I chose to stay with Selangor. But after all the issues took place, Terengganu came to me with a very good proposal. And I have played against them several times as well so I knew they had a good team with quality players; which is what I need to continue developing and improving my performance.
FO: The Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia was recently established. Did you work with them in solving your case?
PR: Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary but I would have definitely worked with them if there was a need to do so.
FO: Johor DT are being tipped to win the league. Do you think Terengganu can challenge them?
PR: Johor DT aren’t the only strong teams in the league. Even Terengganu should be considered as a threat. I believe that we will be able to achieve something this year; I’m confident of that and we are working hard every day to pursue our goal of becoming champions.
FO: What are your personal aspirations for 2015?
PR: Last season, I won a lot of individual awards. So it would be amazing to get those recognitions again, but more importantly, I want to win titles with my team. The Super League, the FA Cup and the Malaysia; we know it won’t be easy, but with hard work and the talent we have in the squad, we certainly have a good chance of doing well.
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