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Barnsley FC have been the surprise package in the Championship this season, putting in some excellent displays that have earned themselves a well deserved spot in the playoffs.
Under Valerien Ismael the Tykes have been fearless and an unknown quantity who have stood up to just about everything that has been thrown at them.
Very much the underdog, Barnsley will have to prepare well ahead of their playoff ordeal starting next month and may look to the teams of old for inspiration.
Perhaps the best example in recent times would be the team of the 2007-08 season, who under the guidance of Simon Davey reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, defying the odds to beat the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea en route.
An integral figure in this team was the tall Brazilian defender Dennis Souza, who was in his debut season with the South Yorkshire side at the time. We recently caught up with him as he recollected some memories from his time at Oakwell.
You could ask the Brazilian a handful of questions about his beginnings and his route to South Yorkshire, which came via Holland and Belgium but I started with a simple one and one that perhaps was quite obvious, did he always want to be a footballer growing up, he was happy to explain this.
“Yes, since I was 8 years old. My Mother worked in a sports club, in which I used to accompany her, and so I had the opportunity to play various sports. I identified myself in football.”
As stated above Souza’s journey to English Football came via Holland and Belgium, the Brazilian discussed the difficulties of moving to a new continent at just 20-years-old and the challenges he had to overcome.
“Before moving to Holland, I had private English lessons for 3 months and when I arrived in Holland I started to really practice English.
“One of the biggest difficulties in my first year in Holland was the longing for my family, who always supported me, so that I could achieve my dream, which was to be a football player. My arrival in Holland, not speaking English and adapting to the weather was a great battle, but one which I managed to overcome, because I had a huge determination to be able to win in the world of football, which requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication.”
In 2007 Souza made his move to England, he revealed this came about by chance after providing translation to a teammate who was in discussions with a move to Leicester City.
“I was contracted to Charleroi in 2006 until 2007 and there was a 1 year extension option. A player at Charleroi asked me to go with him to translate from English to French as he had a meeting with a football agent who came from England because he had come at the request of Leicester City to hire this player. I made friends with this agent and he asked me if I had an interest in playing in England, and I said yes.
“So Barnsley was looking for a central defender and contacted this agent, and he contacted me. I decided to go take the trial, so I asked Charleroi’s President if I could go take this test in England, he released me and said if it doesn’t work out you come back here and continue with us.”
Souza’s spell with Barnsley was a successful one, the defender instantly became a fixture in the the Reds backline and a fan favourite with the faithful. The best moments of his spell in South Yorkshire came in the Tykes famous run to the semi-final of the FA Cup in the 2007-8 campaign, a famous cup run that included triumphs over Liverpool and Chelsea. He explained what is was like to be giant killers and the part the Barnsley supporters played in the success.
“The victories in the FA Cup were the result of all the work that the technical committee and the players did that year. It was the first time in my football career that I saw much dedication and willingness to win, we put a lot of effort throughout the league and the cup.
“The Barnsley fans played a very important role in our victories.”
Souza more than made his mark during his two year’s at Oakwell, I asked him how he reflected on his time with Barnsley as a whole.
“Barnsley was one of the clubs that helped me in my football career, I want to thank the affection that the fans have for me, and to believe in my work and the team at the time.
“I just have good memories, one of the most remarkable was the FA Cup the fact that we faced big clubs and always believed in the potential of our club. I am proud of it.”
Souza departed Barnsley in 2009 and after a year with Qatari outfit Al Sailiya he returned to England in 2010 for a brief spell with Doncaster Rovers, he explained how he wanted to return Barnsley before joining fellow Yorkshire team Doncaster.
“After I left Qatar I wanted to go back to England I had an interest to go back to Barnsley but it wasn’t possible because the Barnsley team was complete, so the opportunity arose for me to close a contract at another club, Doncaster.”
To finish our interview I asked Souza what he would say was the best game(s) of his career, unsurprisingly the FA Cup wins against Liverpool and Chelsea were his choices.
“The game I marked the most in my career was against Liverpool and Chelsea for Barnsley, I had the pleasure to be able to have these unforgettable victories, with the help of the group and fans of Barnsley.”
In just two years Souza achieved a lot with Barnsley and it’s clear he cherishes his memories from his time at Oakwell, we’d like to thank him for taking the time to answer these questions and from a Barnsley perspective it’s to hope that the class of 2020-21 can take inspiration from the heroics of Souza and co back in 2007-8.
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