There aren’t many Brazilian footballers whose favorite phrase is “oh my days”, but neither are there many Brazilian footballers who find themselves in the sixth tier of English football. Lucas Covolan is not the typical lower-league goalkeeper, but at 32 he is a veteran in Britain, after a rollercoaster career that included depression and the death of a coach during a journey that took him from Rio de Janeiro, via Spain , brought to Whitehawk. , Worthing, Torquay, Port Vale, Chesterfield and now Maidstone United.
The National League South side, managed by former Wolves defender George Elokobi, will reach the third round of the FA Cup for the first time if they beat League Two Barrow at home on Saturday.
Maidstone was not the obvious destination when Covolan began his career alongside Philippe Coutinho and Allan in Vasco da Gama’s youth teams, where Juninho Pernambucano – perhaps the greatest dead-ball specialist ever – played the 6ft 7in teenager as would select his goalkeeper. free kick practice at the end of first team training.
“Juninho put up his wall and asked me if I could see the ball,” Covolan said. “I’d say Yes. Next thing I know: goal. Top corner. Top corner. Top corner. The ball was moving like hell. It was crazy, that dip. Every time I tried to dive one way early, he read me and went the other way. I was basically just a skittle.
“Coutinho was just on another level. Shortly after we played together at Vasco, he signed for Internazionale. But he made us a great team and I got called up to Brazil Under-20.”
Covolan goes quiet on the phone. He is audibly emotional at the memory of putting on the Seleção jersey, even after thirteen years. “Thank you, because this interview gives me the opportunity to reflect,” he says. “It was like a dream came true. Oscar [later of Chelsea] played in the Under-20 team – he was incredible. Everyone knew he was going to be a star. Once he arrived at a training session by helicopter. We were like, ‘Oh my days!’”
It could have ended very differently. Covolan almost did not survive the first weeks at Vasco. “I come from the south of Brazil, from Curitiba, which is more colonized by Europeans,” says Covolan, who also has an Italian passport. “Rio was a different world. When I went there for a trial, the facilities there were so bad, even for the big name Vasco. There were five bunk beds in each room, so there were ten of us. I thought if I can live here, I can live anywhere in the world.”
Covolan spent three years at Vasco before signing for his hometown club growing up, Athletico Paranaense, also in the first division. But being the eighth goalkeeper on the books was difficult and with few options for minutes, Covolan made the brave decision to break a three-year contract and move to Europe, disillusioned by the prospect of poor facilities, irregular wages and security problems in the Brazilian football club. lower leagues.
Spain was the first stop, but a series of unfortunate incidents made life very difficult. One club in Madrid left Covolan at the airport. He was on trial at Real Mallorca for three months, but was told at the age of 24 that he was ‘too old’. Finally, in 2015, Covolan found a third-tier club, UD Alaró, managed by former professional Julián Ronda.
“He had many contacts in Spain and really wanted to help me. But one night he was playing with friends and had a heart attack. We were all like, ‘What?!’ He was so fit, but he died. It was so, so sad.”
Covolan left for England in 2016 and successful spells at Lewes, Worthing and Torquay reinforced the idea that England was the place for him. At Torquay, he scored a dramatic injury-time equalizer in the 2021 National League play-off final against Hartlepool to force extra time – a moment Covolan undoubtedly considers his “happiest moment in football”, even though the luster taken away by Hartlepool’s eventual victory on penalties, despite two saves from Covolan in the shootout.
His performances earned him a move to the Football League with Port Vale, who were promoted to League One the following season. But what should have been the pinnacle of his career became Covolan’s “lowest point.”
“I felt like I had to be perfect,” he says. “I put so much pressure on myself that I stopped enjoying football. I became depressed. I had everything at that moment. I’m such a cheerful character, I like to joke, I dance, I laugh, I have Brazilian blood. I never thought depression would be something I would experience. But I did, and it hit me pretty hard. I’m not ashamed to say it now.
“After training I went straight to bed, straight to the PlayStation. I didn’t talk to my partner, my friends or family at the time. It affected my performance, my body; Then I was aggressive on the pitch.” Covolan was sent off twice that season, including on his Vale debut, and by January 2022 he had lost his place.
“I got help from the PFA, from the club, spoke to psychiatrists and psychologists,” says Covolan. “It changed my life. They still help me, but I’m a different person now. I have breathing techniques, counting techniques. I know myself. I don’t want to wake the monster.”
After a loan spell at Chesterfield, Covolan has found peace at Maidstone in this quiet corner of Kent, where he has access to a nearby Brazilian butcher.
Some habits are hard. “I still hold myself and others to very high standards. I’m handing out team fines for Maidstone. It costs £10 for showering without slippers, £10 if you don’t weigh yourself before and after training. Actually, I like to tell people what to do,” he says with a smile.
Elokobi appreciates the input of Covolan, who says of his manager: “He is honest, he is organised, he has played in the Premier League so he knows what it takes to improve. Hard work can sometimes beat quality.”
Maidstone and Covolan need both to beat Barrow in the Cup and have a chance of a dream draw against a Premier League team in the new year.
• In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, you can call or text Mental Health America on 988 or chat with 988lifeline.org. In Australia, support is available from Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 and MensLine on 1300 789 978