Retired since 2018, Julio Cesar now lives in Lisbon, where he played for Benfica in the final stretch of his professional career. Despite three and a half seasons at the club in the Portuguese capital, the former goalkeeper said he almost ended up at Porto in 2005, when he left Flamengo and ended up signing for Inter Milan.
"My father was talking to Porto, and then Inter Milan came and showed interest. Obviously, for financial reasons and other situations, Inter's offer ended up being better," he explained.
Cesar spoke for almost an hour with Ricardo Oliveira Duarte, Flashscore's Audio Country Manager in Brazil. The first part of the interview will be aired this weekend, during breaks in Flashscore's audio broadcasts.
'I felt like Superman'
The former player spoke in detail about his heyday at Inter Milan, which he described as a 'fairytale'. Cesar was a key part of the team that won the treble in 2009/10 under Jose Mourinho, and he leaves modesty aside when he evaluates his performance at that time.
"Between 2008 and 2010, I'd get on the pitch and feel like Superman, with that red cape. There were games when I'd come on and say: 'I'm not going to concede today'. And you have to be careful when you're that confident, because overconfidence is treacherous," said Cesar.
"It was a moment when I didn't see anyone in front of me. With all due respect, with all lack of modesty. I couldn't see Buffon, Casillas or anyone else. Even my friend Dida, for whom I have enormous respect, a great goalkeeper, and from whom I learnt a lot."
Love for Flamengo
Despite his technical peak at Inter Milan, Cesar doesn't hide the fact that he's been happier elsewhere.
"In terms of titles, it was great (at Inter). But where I've been happiest is Mengao. I was very happy at Mengao. I'm not being hypocritical. Everyone knows that Flamengo is the team of my heart. To be able to get out of the stands and onto the pitch, to play and represent your favourite club is priceless," he said.
The full interview with Julio Cesar will be aired soon on Flashscore's channels, for you to watch and listen to wherever you want. As well as Inter and Flamengo, the former goalkeeper talked about subjects such as his time with Ruben Amorim, now manager of Manchester United, with whom he played at Benfica.