• Robert Renan has been one of Brazil's key players at this FIFA U-20 World Cup

• His journey to Argentina 2023 has been anything but straightforward

• We hear from the talented defender and the parents who have helped him through

It is morning in La Plata. Renata wakes up, picks up her phone, says a little prayer, and sends her first message of the day.

“Hello. Great game! Keep believing and fly high. God is taking care of everything. I love you.”

The 38-year-old is the mother of Robert Renan and has seen her son go through so much to get this far. The Brazil centre-half has had to deal with violence, racism and the death of a teenage friend on his pursuit of a footballing dream.

Hours after receiving that message from his mother, Renan showed all his class to help Brazil beat Nigeria and qualify for the round of 16 of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023™.That achievement is just another step forward in a career shaped by the love of his parents, who follow him wherever he goes.

“I have to wish him a good morning and tell him I love him. It’s the first thing I do,” said Renata. “I’m always going to see him as my little boy. He’s a dreamer, very loving, and always responsible.”

Renan was only a boy when he had to cope with the worst that life can throw at you. Violence is a fact of life for young people in his home town of Ceilandia, which recorded 30 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014.

When he was 11, he was the victim of racism at the hands of a police officer, who called him a monkey when he saw him eating a banana before a training session. Three years later, a childhood friend of his was murdered in a case of mistaken identity.

Young Renan would not have been able to withstand the trauma of it all had it not been for the support of his parents.

“Nobody knows why these wars happen,” said the player’s father, Roberto. “We don’t know how they start and the end is always sad.

“He called me: ‘Dad, can you come and get me? I can’t even walk.’ Robert got there about ten minutes after it happened. The body was lying there for forensics and all that, so he saw it lying on the ground.”

Renan’s parents have always tried to educate him about race and racism. He was named after the two of them, who both do a lot of community work in their local neighbourhood of Expansao, in Ceilandia, and have always taught him how to live and survive.

“Robert is black and we’ve always tried to protect him from things out there. I used to tell him: ‘If the police come up to you, you have to be smart, because you’re a young black man’.”

It was such advice that helped Renan get through the toughest times of his life and which also instilled in him the desire to come back to his community and do what he can to help it develop. He is now regarded as something of a hero in the area. Local schoolchildren idolise him and want to be like him when they play football.

“I feel very proud because of everything I’ve been through,” said the central defender. “I feel very proud to be here representing my country, my city and my family. I’m representing local kids and their dreams."

A Corinthians youth product, he was sold to Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg at the start of the year. During the holidays, he returned to Ceilandia and organised the inaugural Copa Robert Renan, a football tournament bringing together more than 300 children from around the region.

“It’s a tough neighbourhood,” said Roberto. “A lot of teenagers lose their way there, not because they’re criminals but because they’re victims of crime. But the young people there have a huge amount of potential.”

Renan’s life journey is reflected in every step he takes on the pitch, where he stands out for his solidity, quality on the ball, and his maturity.

He began his career in the centre of defence during an U-15 match with Novorizontino, from the interior of Sao Paulo state. When one of the team’s centre-halves was sent off, Renan was drafted into the position as cover. He has stayed there ever since.

In the years that followed, the young centre-back has impressed coaches and teams around the world with his defensive abilities and skilfulness in bringing the ball out and distributing it.

Robert Renan is a special talent, and his mother knows it. Renata said she will not rest until her son achieves his biggest dreams. And they are no ordinary dreams either.

“Let me tell you something: he’s going to win the Golden Ball,” she said. “You’ll see. Why not? People say he’s going to be just like Thiago Silva. No, my dear. He’s going to be better than Thiago,” she added with a smile.

For someone who has dealt with the adversity that comes with living in one of the most violent regions in Brazil, dreaming of and competing for a trophy awarded to the best in the world is not a problem to be solved but a very welcome challenge.

It is too early to say if young Renan will make it. One thing is certain, however: he will not be lacking in love and support on the way. Renata and Roberto will make sure of that.