In a nation where the sport is religion, Rafael Gaglianone grew up playing football day after day, month after month, year after year, imaging himself reaching the highest levels of the game.
Today, Gaglianone is looking to make the cut with the most storied franchise in a football league that is woven into the fabric of its nation.
It sounds like a childhood dream come true. Except, of course, we’re not talking about the same kind of football, nor the same nation.
And that’s what makes Gaglianone’s story so fascinating.
Kickin' it with 🇧🇷 Rafael Gaglianone via @BadgerFootball
LIVE BLOG | https://t.co/j9fvKneh6V | #GoElks #CFL pic.twitter.com/09pUBoQl3b
— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) May 3, 2022
The centreback-turned-placekicker from Sao Paulo is looking to become the first Brazilian to play in the Canadian Football League, after being selected 17th overall by the Edmonton Elks in the 2022 CFL Global Draft on May 3. Gaglianone is attended Elks training camp, which started on Sunday.
“I’m just blessed to be able to get a shot at this,” the 27-year-old says. “It’s crazy when you look at the percentage of people that get a chance to play professional and where I came from, I’m just lucky to be going on this ride.”
Gaglianone’s journey crosses three countries, includes two sports, involves a major twist of fate, and is as TSN Originals-worthy as any among aspiring CFLers this preseason.
SOCCER BACKGROUND
Like pretty much every kid in his native country, Gaglianone immersed in Brazil’s national sport, the game that in Canada is known as soccer. When he got to high school, he decided to pursue soccer in the United States and attended Baylor in Chattanooga, Tenn., following in the footsteps of his older brother who a few years earlier had moved to Florida to play high school soccer (Thiago went on to play NCAA Division II soccer at Francis Marion University and Division III at Cal Lutheran University).
Football is to Tennessee what soccer is to Brazil. And when autumn arrived in Chattanooga, they didn’t play the latter, only the former. So it wasn’t long before Gaglianone was invited to give football a try.
“The first day I was hitting 50-yarders,” he recalls. “Right away, they were like, ‘Yeah, you have potential to go to college and pursue this if you want.”
Gaglianone wound up playing both versions of football at Baylor, and while he had team and individual success in soccer, it was on the gridiron where the Brazilian most shined, being named Tennessee Mr. Football Kicker of the Year and a finalist for Tennessee Mr. Football.
With college on the horizon, Gaglianone had to choose a sport. He accepted a football scholarship to the University of Wisconsin.
“I kind of knew what level I was at and what kind of opportunities were going to come with soccer and seeing the opportunities and the potential that I had with football … it was easy to make the transition,” he says.
“I felt like kicking really embodied everything that I do best: my power, my accuracy, my cool and composure under pressure. All of those things transitioned (from soccer to football).”
FOOTBALL FOCUS
Gaglianone kicked for the Badgers from 2014 to 2018. He was named Second Team All-Big Ten in 2017, received All-Big Ten honourable mention in 2018 and was an All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection in 2014.
After finishing his college career tied for second all-time in the Big Ten with 426 points, Gaglianone graduated in 2019 with a major in life sciences communication. He knew he still wanted to play football, but not before he opened the door for the others like him to do the same. So Gaglianone returned to Brazil to work establishing a program that provides opportunities for student-athletes to pursue football in the United States. There are currently 17 players in the U.S. that have come through the program.
“It was just so nice to be able to work with kids that have a dream and have the same passions that I did at that time and help them progress on their next step,” he says.
“Football is still amateur in Brazil, and I knew that I wanted to do something positive to help grow the game that has given me so much.”
Gaglianone’s original plan was to give professional football a shot in 2020. But then COVID-19 hit. He hunkered down in Sao Paulo for a year and a half until borders started to open up late last year, and he was able to return to the U.S. to train at Baylor and Wisconsin.
The five-foot-11, 240-pound Gaglianone was one of three Brazilians selected in the Global Draft. Linebacker Ryan Gomes went to the Calgary Stampeders with the 12th overall pick, and offensive lineman Otavio Amorin was picked at No. 22 by the Toronto Argonauts. Not only could a Brazilian play in the CFL for the first time, but a handful of games could feature a player from Brazil on both sidelines.
Gaglianone is still incredibly passionate about soccer. He’s excited by just being on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium, a venue that has hosted many major international soccer matches. But football, Gaglianone feels, is what he was destined to play.
“In a way I look at my journey and feel almost like soccer was my preparation to get this to the point … I feel like I’m still kind of new to this and progressing,” he says. “Coming into rookie camp you want to learn as much as you can, and being in a new league, it’s just more opportunities to continue to develop and become a better player.”