In the second part of the interview, Emanuel talks about being the best Beach Volleyball player in history, the partners in his career and the expectation for the next challenge: winning the gold in London 2012. Check out!

Many experts tell that you are the best Beach Volleyball player of the history. What do you think about that?

I am still building my own history, in my head. I am always after a challenge, after a dream. And when the dream comes true… For instance, this year of 2011. I was world champion and World Circuit champion. I made those dreams come true. When they are done, I am building another one. In my career, I have always thought like that. Everything I have built, I will only enjoy it when I retire. Leaving a legacy to other people. My motivation is going after that. When they have asked me to if I am the best in the world, I say that I can be even better than I am today, because I know I can improve some details in my game. Today, teamed with Alison, I know that I can improve my defence and serve skills.

At 38 years old, you have already been the winner of all the main championships. Are there technical details to hone?

Yes, there is, because the athlete has a lot of bad habits. To quit them, there has to have good people working by your side. Each professional that worked with me helped me to improve myself, to polish the diamond so that it can be perfect. I think I am not perfect, there are still somethings I can polish.

Plus Alison, your current partner, you had seven others. The most lasting ones were with Ricardo and Zé Marco. What do you keep from these relationships?

I had a special relationship with each one of them. I am a person who likes to learn with other people, and I have learnt something for my life with each one of them. For example, Aloísio, who was ten years older than me. He had a lot of experience. I was almost twenty years old, he was thirty. When I started, he taught me how to be a professional. This is unforgettable. Zé Marco taught me to be a friend inside and outside the courts. We were like two people that knew each other for a long time, and this kind of relation gave a good result inside the court. I went to the United States, started playing with André and he has motivated me, because he was already there when I arrived without any infrastructure. He gave me the infrastructure I needed.

Loiola was completely professional. “Do we have to do a hundred abdominal exercises? Two hundred attacks? Let’s do it”, he was very disciplined and objective. With him, I learnt how to be that way too. Ricardo was the more complete partner I have had. We were a double for seven years. Tande, at the time, he had already been an Olympic champion, so he gave me an outside court view. Image exposure, what an athlete has to have outside the court, the relationship with sponsors, with the Brazilian Confederation. He has taught me to be more political. Now, with Alison, I am learning how to be younger (giggles). He is 12 years younger than me. I am learning to be young again.

Who was your ideal partner?

It was Zé Marco. I was beginning my career, I have learnt how to win with him. It was the first time I was world champion, the first time I went to the Olympic Games. We were the Brazilian champions. With him, I learnt the way to the victory.

And to London 2012, what are your expectations?

I was discussing with the Games organisers, and they have told me that they made a survey. It has shown that Beach Volleyball is the fifth sport in terms of spectators and audience. There had been a test event now, a month ago. We were invited, because we are sponsored by VISA, one of the Olympic partners. So, we have visited the place where the competitions will take place. It is a place with a lot of light. The Arena is near the Buckingham Palace, near Big Ben, where it happens the changing of guard. It is amazing.

How about the competition itself?

I know all the difficulties you have to surpass to get there, to get there as the favourites. My project with Alison has begun last year. This is the second year playing together. Last year, we had some problems to adjust as a team. We have lost some matches, we have had some disagreements, we have improved, and we have got worse. Last year was the lab. This year, we have benefited from all the difficulties we have faced. We have improved as a team and I believe that this is a natural evolution of our Olympic project. A team, to be a good team, needs three years. Alison and I will get there knowing how to lose, how to win difficult games, how to lose difficult games. A team has to have this experience when it dreams about being an Olympic champion.

Is the goal the gold?

The goal is to be the best team in the world. I think this is our role. I have learnt that we cannot qualify a team just to win a title. Do you want to be part of the best team in the world? Do you want to be the best server, the best blocker. I think it is easier to aim being the best team in the world than winning the Olympic gold. It becomes clearer to me. I believe it is a more objective way to see the path to the Olympic Games.

Finally, are we going to see Emanuel inside the court in the Rio 2016™ Games?

I will answer you in 2013 (giggles). It is a question I can answer now. One thing you can be sure of: I am going to be working for Brazil in 2016, be it inside or outside the court. I want to be like that. I want to help Brazil in 2016.