João Klauss: No road too long

At nine years of age, João Klauss de Mello already knew that his footballing abilities far surpassed those of his peers. Playing in a friendly match for his hometown club of Esporte Clube Juventude, he was scouted by the opposition's coach and before long, he received an excellent offer to join a club three hours' drive down the road - SC Internacional Porto Alegre. In de Mello's words: ''Train on Friday, play at the weekend and then drive back home afterwards.'' 

Klauss, as most of his friends call him, decided to accept the offer. His parents would then drive him every Friday from Caixas do Sul, through Nuevo Hamburgo and then on to Porto Alegre - a city in south-eastern Brazil with a history of immigration from Germany and Italy and a name that translates as ''friendly port.'' But the ''long weekend in Porto Alegre'' project would only last for so long. On the one hand, the long drive proved exhausting, especially for his parents. On the other, despite his prolific goalscoring, it proved hard to justify the special treatment he received at the club.

De Mello shrugs as he reflects on that time: ''After a year they told me that it wasn't okay for me to just train once a week with the team and then play in matches. Apparently it was unfair on the others, even though I would practice every day back in my hometown. But it was understandable, so I moved to the academy residency at just ten years of age.'' He would remain there for four years, until he received another offer that he couldn't refuse. In 2011, city rivals Gremio came knocking at Klauss's door; the youngster duly took the plunge and joined the historic club who famously beat Hamburg in 1983 (2-1) to claim the Intercontinental Cup. ''They are a famous club in Brazil, and lots of legends have played for them. Receiving an offer from them was a special honour.'' 

Advice from Carlos Eduardo

Carlos Eduardo - a member of the legendary TSG team that achieved promotion to the top tier and then managed to top the table going into Christmas in their debut Bundesliga season - is a hero at Gremio. This meant that Hoffenheim had an ace up their sleeve when they first started enquiring about Klauss's future plans back in 2016. ''I knew TSG from the TV, as I watched a lot of Bundesliga back in Brazil and the club is well known there thanks to Roberto Firmino. As soon I got the offer, I phoned up Carlos Eduardo, who is a good friend of mine. He was full of praise for Hoffenheim. I didn't hesitate for a second; I knew right away that this was the chance I'd been working towards for all these years.''

Klauss had always dealt remarkably well with the long car journeys and the early departure from his parents' house, but now he found himself troubled by the cold weather and the language barrier. Klauss moved to the Kraichgau in January 2017, and thanks to his Italian passport he was immediately able to start playing for TSG in the Regionalliga and get himself accustomed to life on a new continent: ''Although I have German ancestors, I wasn't able to speak the language. It was hard not being able to communicate at the beginning.'' What Klauss didn't know then was that the weather would soon become even colder and the language even trickier: In March 2018, after 14 months and five goals in the German fourth tier, the Brazilian moved to Finnish club HJK Helsinki on a loan deal. 

The move would have a transformative impact on de Mello's footballing career: Klauss played in all 33 league matches and fired the capital-city club to the league title with 21 goals - a performance which saw him named Player of the Season. ''It was an important experience. I realised that my playing style works in Europe too and I was able to develop in a lot of ways. The success and the awards did me a lot of good. I came back full of confidence,'' says the 1.90-metres tall striker. 

However, the young Brazilian's journey didn't end there. In January 2019, he was on the hunt for new opportunities - and this time around he had several offers to choose from. In the end, he opted for Austrian club LASK, which proved a well thought-out choice. ''I wanted to take the step up to a higher level and improve my German. I always had it in my head that my ultimate goal was to play for TSG in the Bundesliga,'' says Klauss as he reflects on his plan, which has now paid off. The Brazilian also hit the ground running at LASK and it didn't take long for him to win plaudits. Playing under current Wolfsburg coach Oliver Glasner, Klauss scored however he pleased: While falling over against Sturm Graz, from distance against Hartberg, after dribbling and playing a one-two against St. Pölten. In total, he scored 24 goals for the Austrians, who he represented in the Champions League qualification play-offs and the Europa League. ''It was a brilliant time. I played against top opponents, including in Europe. It was an important stage of my development.'' 

Joelinton as a role model

While in Austria, he witnessed another Brazilian striker find success in Hoffenheim - one who also spent time in the alpine country: Joelinton. Klauss has been encouraged by his countryman's success at TSG: ''Joelinton's path was very inspiring for me. He showed how loan players can develop and how they can take on an important role when they return to TSG. It showed that this approach can work. He opened the door for other loan players.'' Klauss is full of praise for his compatriot, who now plays in Newcastle, but he earned his return to TSG on the back of his own strong performances; his power, passion and exceptionally strong aerial game had defenders across Austria shaking in their boots. ''I'm at my most dangerous in the box. I'm always looking for chances to score, whether it's with my feet or my head. My stature means I pose the biggest threat when I'm close to goal.''

Klauss's not-particularly-Brazilian style of play and his appearance led to former teammate Joao Victor (now at Wolfsburg) poking fun at him: ''He looks like a German with his blonde hair. He's also not a very good dancer.'' The towering Klauss didn't mind a bit of banter. Week after week in Linz, he would strengthen his case for the big opportunity he'd been waiting for - a return to TSG to play in the Bundesliga. ''Finland and Austria were just steps along the way to establishing myself at Hoffenheim. The big competition for places is additional motivation for me, and it's important for everyone in the team. I'm delighted to be able to play alongside big-name players like Munas Dabbur or Andrej Kramarić. I'm ready to fight for my place and prove myself in the Bundesliga.'' 

This is the next step in the career plans of the 23-year-old - but as he reveals with a glint in his eye, it's certainly not his end goal: ''Hoffenheim was the perfect springboard for Carlos Eduardo, Luiz Gustavo and Roberto Firmino to go on to represent the Brazil national team. Joelinton won his first cap for the Selecao while playing for TSG. That's the path I want to take too.'' João Klauss de Mello has already proven several times in his fledgling career that he can take extraordinary paths.