At 39 years of age, Felipe Melo is still very much eager to prove his worth on a football pitch. A fierce competitor, he has worn the jerseys of Fiorentina, Juventus and Inter in Serie A. In what follows, he speaks about his move to Italy, recalling the passion of the fans in Florence, to whom he has remained very attached. He spoke to us on the phone before a training session with his current club, Fluminense, at which his son, 17-year-old David, is gradually entering the first team.
On Sunday in Italy is Juventus versus Fiorentina, a match between two teams you know pretty well.
"They are two teams I carry in my heart, like all the ones I have played for. Many people think I don't love Juve, but it's not true. It was my first team in Italy and it's an extraordinary team."
What do you think of the 15-point penalty and the scandal they're experiencing?
"They are going through a bad time, without a doubt. Regarding the penalty, I can't afford to talk about a club as big as Juve. It's true they made a mistake, they lost 15 points, but I have always seen serious behaviour at Juve, from the president down to the groundsman. Juve is a serious club that does important things but they have made mistakes again."
What kind of game will it be on Sunday?
"At this point, I think Fiorentina have a good chance to win. It's a young team with good players, including Cabral, in whom I have confidence. And then there's Amrabat, who had a great World Cup and was sought after by Barcelona."
Speaking of Amrabat, he plays in the same position as you. Do you see yourself in him?
(Laughs) "Honestly, no. I think Felipe Melo at 25 was among the strongest players in his role, and I was a starter for Brazil. Juve was forced to pay a clause to get me. At that time I was solid and strong, I had quality and I was also scoring goals. I don't like making comparisons but we are different. Amrabat is good at marking and defensively he is very strong, too."
It will be played in Turin, is that an advantage for Juve?
"I wasn't lucky enough to play in the Juventus shirt at the new stadium but I think without a doubt in this stadium the fans are more vocal. I experienced it when I played against Juve for Galatasaray. When we played at the Olimpico, the stands were further away and the fans were colder. If it had been played in Florence it would have been different. The Viola fans are unique, they are the main driving force of the team. In Italy, Fiorentina fans are among the hottest supporters along with those of Napoli, Roma and Lazio."
So, who will you be cheering for?
"Fiorentina, I have no doubt! I will support Fiorentina because I had a wonderful year there thanks to the people, who will remain in my heart forever. I love the Viola because I love their fans. When I went to Juve they were obviously disappointed, but for me, nothing has changed."
Since your beginnings in Italy, in the Viola shirt, you were always considered a nasty player.
"In Spain, where I came from, I never received such a label. That reputation was sewn onto me in Italy, also for tactical reasons. In LaLiga, I used to play in a three-man midfield, where I could be released more easily into the attack. I scored 12 goals in my first season at Galatasaray, too."
In Italy, however, you were always seen as a defensive midfielder.
"I had to take a step back. I was the last man before the defenders. And it was a new role for me. A role in which I could never make mistakes because behind me there were the centre-backs. I had to make a virtue out of necessity. And it's true, I'm a tough player, but I'm not disloyal at all, that's something else. But I've always been tough because football is a serious, tough sport."
Juve fans, on the other hand, criticised you for various displays of affection towards Inter before the Italian derbies.
"First of all, I must clarify two things: I have always been an Inter fan, ever since I was a child. And after playing with them even more so. But it's true that my first great team was Juventus. I arrived when I was a kid and I learned a lot, even though I made many mistakes."
It was, it should be added, the Juventus team after the Calciopoli scandal.
"There was a lot of confusion in that team, even though I had great teammates, champions like Cannavaro, Buffon, Trezeguet, and Del Piero, all people who spoke well of me in the future. Juve was a school for me. I improved as a person."
In Turin, they also remember you well for the elimination they suffered at the hands of your Galatasaray side in the 2013/14 Champions League group stage.
"It was an unforgettable match. Under the snow! The day before, so much snow fell that we couldn't play and we had to postpone until the next day and to the afternoon when the fans had to work. Yet they still filled the stadium to support us to the max. And they made the difference. We had to win to go through and we did it."
Sneijder's goal in the 85th minute has remained iconic since then.
"I started that play, stealing the ball from Vidal. Then from Drogba's touch came Sneijder's goal. It was a wonderful feeling beating a team like that, full of great champions - it was spectacular."
That Galatasaray side was really something.
"A lot of people talk badly about the Turkish league, but it's not easy to play there. We beat Juve, Manchester United. We were a strong team, very tough. And I'll tell you more - the year before we could have won the Champions League!"
Are you talking about the quarter-final against Real Madrid?
"Exactly! I'm convinced that if the VAR system had existed we would have won. It is true that in the first leg, we lost 3-0, but the second goal was ruined by a clear foul on one of our players that the referee did not signal, which was decisive. In the second leg, at the start, we conceded a clear offside goal from Cristiano Ronaldo and then we came back to make it 3-1. We scored three goals in a quarter of an hour and I could see Mourinho stunned as if thinking: what the (bleep) is going on here? Then they scored the second goal because we were all on the attack to make it four. But with VAR, we could have won the Champions League!"
Today you are at Fluminense where you have been training in the first team with your eldest son David. Do you give him plenty of knocks, too?
(Laughs) "We've had a few training sessions together and, when it's needed, I remind him how tough football is. But I'm glad he got here because he has so much quality and especially because for several years he didn't feel motivated to play."
How did he get that hunger back?
"He saw his younger brother play and got motivated. David has so much quality and I don't say that because he is my son but because he does. He has already won a youth championship in Chile and this year the first team coach promoted him, albeit temporarily. He was born in Spain but grew up in the youth academies of Juve and Inter, so he is a bit Italian too."
Does he play like you?
"His role is that of a midfielder in front of the defence but he has to be calm with his judgements. He has a lot of technique and I hope he makes the leap soon because I'm dying to play with him!"
