The perfect goalkeeper within the Premier League this season says he prefers to play as a striker and spent a lot of his early soccer life at right-back.
Welcome to the world of Jose Sa, the person named the most effective signing of final summer season by Gary Neville, who's pushing Wolves in the direction of the highest 4.
When Sa moved to Molineux from Olympiakos for £6.8million, to exchange Roma-bound Rui Patricio, the switch barely registered with Premier League supporters. Seven months later and Sa is inconceivable to disregard, because of his function in a workforce who've conceded solely 17 targets in 23 league matches, but additionally for his flamboyant character.
As he arrives promptly for his first UK newspaper interview, Sa's straightforward method and a pointy sense of humour are instantly obvious. Requested about his goalkeeping idols, the 29-year-old jokes: 'Iker Casillas, Petr Cech, Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer are the best of the best - after me!'
But Sa had no plans to emulate them when he was a defender for his junior workforce, Palmeiras, primarily based in Braga in northern Portugal. All that modified one weekend when Sa, aged 10, was requested by his coach and mentor Jose Carlos Antunes to deputise in objective as a result of the workforce's common 'keeper was absent.
'When I play with friends, I don't like stepping into objective, I like to attain - I am going up entrance and run,' smiles Sa. 'And then I was a right-back for my local team Palmeiras when I was much younger.
'Before one game my coach, who is now my parents' neighbour, got here to me and mentioned: 'Could you go in goal because we don't have a keeper? I believe you may be good.'
'I was 10 or 11 at the time and I don't bear in mind something concerning the recreation, however the next season I bear in mind we had an excellent workforce and we had been champions. It was at that stage I began having trials with different golf equipment.
'My parents supported me all the time, though as a goalkeeper they had to spend more money on me because you have gloves, boots and everything else.
'My father gave me everything I needed and said to me: 'One day you will pay me everything back!'
'Times were different times back then because I had two or three pairs of gloves and two boots per season. Now I have a big box full of new gloves and change them every three games.'
Whichever pair Sa has chosen, they've served him properly. Changing Patricio, nonetheless Portugal's first selection, appeared a tough job, but the early indicators point out Wolves have discovered an improve.
Sa shares Patricio's shot-stopping skill however is much extra snug with the ball at his toes, enabling him to play as a sweeper behind Wolves' greater defensive position and in addition contribute to assaults.
Certainly, his favorite second this season was not his spectacular save from Bruno Fernandes that preserved Wolves' 1-0 win at Manchester United on January 3, however his help for Raul Jimenez's winner at Southampton on September 26.
Outcomes like these have carried Wolves to inside six factors of a Champions League spot - they usually have two video games in hand on fourth-placed Manchester United.
It has been a high-quality first season for boss Bruno Lage and Sa believes Wolves' secret is the 'family' ambiance on the membership. Sports activities stars usually converse glibly about workforce spirit however at Wolves, the pack mentality feels real. Midfielder Ruben Neves turns 25 subsequent month and the gamers have already deliberate a flowery gown evening, with 'Las Vegas Casino' because the theme.
'The environment here is amazing,' says Sa, in spectacular English. 'There are a lot of Portuguese players and because we are outside our own country, people like Ruben, Joao Moutinho, Pedro Neto - they are our family.
'We are like a pack and this is one of the reasons we are doing well. If I make a mistake, my friends are there to help me. If one of them makes a mistake, I try to help them.
'Could we play in the Champions League? Of course. If nobody leaves, if the club bring in one or two more players, yes, with this squad we can do very good things.
'We are under the radar but that is normal because in England people always push 'The Big Six' and their gamers. However we do our work and we're there, in an excellent place.
'Can we stay under the radar? I don't care. Typically I prefer it when individuals don't discuss me, although after all it's good once they do as a result of it's an indication you might be doing an excellent job.
'If Gary Neville says I am the signing of the season, it makes me very happy. He is one of the biggest names, a very important person in English football. It gives me power to work harder and do better.
'I hate losing. When I lose after making a mistake, when I go home to my wife I don't talk to her. I stay on the couch and sometimes I get headaches, because I'm thinking of what I could do better.'
Whereas Sa can keep on the sting of the limelight within the West Midlands, this was not the case at both of his former golf equipment.
Porto are 29-times champions of Portugal and function underneath fierce scrutiny, and the highlight shines even brighter on Greek giants Olympiakos.
Sa nonetheless speaks some Greek because of his three years in Athens although no reminiscence is as clear because the 16 days in February 2019, when Olympiakos had been knocked out of the Europa League and home Cup, in addition to shedding to PAOK within the league.
The flamable Evangelos Marinakis, who additionally owns Nottingham Forest, had seen sufficient.
'He was a good person who helped me a lot, but after the cup defeat by Lamia, a small team, he came to the dressing room with 15 fans,' remembers Sa 'The fans were going crazy. They had red eyes and were almost crying. They said we had to honour the shirt and give more.
'Here the fans are calmer and they respect you a lot, though at Olympiakos the people loved and supported me, even when I had a bad phase.' Sa has already gone a protracted solution to incomes related standing at Molineux.
