‘I performed with Rivaldo at Barcelona however the most effective days of my life have been in Hull’

The Premier League is the place to make a name for yourself and one superstar loved every second of doing that at Hull, even more than playing for a classic Barcelona side packed with household names

The Premier League experience is one like no other. Whether it’s Myles Lewis-Skelly trolling Erling Haaland, Liverpool seemingly walking away with the title on the back of more Mo Salah brilliance, or managers providing some classic press conferences, there is something for everybody.

Playing for Barcelona? That’s okay. Being mentored by the great Rivaldo, who also happens to be a countryman of yours? Not bad. Playing in the Champions League semi-finals? Done it. Returning to your boyhood club after title success with Benfica? It’s all good. But banging in goals for Hull in the Premier League? Priceless.

That’s the view of Brazil international Geovanni, anyway. After leaving Cruzeiro for Barca in 2001, Geovanni, who turned 45 last month, was eventually loaned to Benfica before a permanent move to Portugal after a reported falling out with Barcelona coach Carles Rexach.

A Portuguese Cup followed in 2003-04 before helping to end the Eagles’ Primeira Liga drought the following season. Geovanni returned to Brazil for one season with Cruzeiro before his Premier League adventure began.

Manchester City was his first destination as part of the new Thaksin Shinawatra era. But not even a 30-yard screamer to win the derby against rivals Manchester United can compare to being part of the Phil Brown revolution in Yorkshire, apparently.

“Just speaking about the club makes me emotional,” he said in an interview with The Athletic. “It was a dream for me. Those may have been the best days of my life as a footballer.”

Geovanni’s time with the Tigers – in their first ever season in the top flight of English football in 2008-09 – got off to the fastest of starts, as he bagged their first Premier League goal, scoring just 22 minutes into his debut with a trademark curling effort.

Arsene Wenger called Geovanni’s strike in a later win over Arsenal “the goal of a lifetime”, while the Brazilian followed that effort with a free-kick against Spurs a few days later.

“Caleb Folan, Craig Fagan, George Boateng, Daniel Cousin, Marlon King, Matt Duke… Bernard Mendy. We had a really good squad full of great footballers. Nicky Barmby. Dean Windass, who scored in the play-off final. Andy Dawson, Anthony Gardner. Top players,” Geovanni said.

“Hull was like a family to me. It was real friendship: we all really cared about each other. I talked to Ian Ashbee just yesterday. He was our captain, an exceptional guy. The kit man, Barry Lowe? We spoke every day. And Stuart, his son. The chefs, the ground staff… it was just different.

“It was a small-town atmosphere and I felt at home there. The club really got under my skin.”

A move to the MLS once his time in the English top flight was over followed, before Geovanni returned to Brazil to see out his playing days, finally retiring in 2013. But it was his time at Hull which stands out the most for him in his career.

“I felt the love the fans had for me,” he said. “They chanted my name non-stop. It was a special time.”