Iván Santana Alves, a young Brazilian athlete, rose to fame on social media for his impressive soccer skills and humility. Born in extreme poverty, Iván grew up playing with makeshift balls and later gained a massive following online. He was nicknamed "Lugar de Pedreira" or "bricklayer's glove" and caught the attention of soccer legends like Ronaldinho and Neymar. Iván signed an advertising contract with Amazon, but his representatives took advantage of his innocence and scammed him out of over $200,000. Despite this setback, Iván has restarted his career, signing a new contract with a former indoor soccer player, and is working to rebuild his life and achieve his dreams.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Ivan Santana Alves, also known as Lugar de Pedreira, is a Brazilian athlete from a humble town in Brazil.
2. He was born on November 7, 2001, in the town of Tavo, Brazil.
3. Ivan grew up in extreme poverty and had to abandon his childhood to help his father work.
4. He acquired basic knowledge until the eighth grade and became obsessed with buying a smartphone.
5. Ivan spent his time watching his classmates with mobile devices and wanted to record himself playing with the ball.
6. At 20 years old, he managed to get a second-hand cell phone and began to record himself playing soccer.
7. He started posting videos on social media, imitating famous soccer players, and gained popularity.
8. His videos went viral, and he became known as "Lupa de Pedreiro" or "Bricklayer's Glove."
9. Ivan's idols, including Ronaldinho, began to watch and admire his videos.
10. He signed an advertising contract with Amazon and appeared in a campaign that earned him around $90,000.
11. Ivan became the young Brazilian athlete with the most followers on Instagram.
12. His fans began to help him with donations, including balls, t-shirts, and cleats.
13. Ivan's family was struggling financially, and he wanted to help them.
14. He was scammed by his representative, who managed his accounts and promoted his social media presence.
15. Ivan only had $1,400 in his account, despite earning much more from his advertisements.
16. He filed charges against his representative, but justice has not yet been done.
17. Ivan signed a contract with former indoor soccer player Falcao and moved to a new property with his family.
18. Despite the scam, Ivan's career is not lost, and he is still very young and popular on social media.