Mauricinho (beach soccer)
Mauricio Pereira Braz de Oliveira (born 9 December 1989), known better as Mauricinho, is a Brazilian beach soccer player who plays as a forward. He won the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup representing Brazil and claimed the Silver Ball (second best player) award at the competition; he has also appeared at two other World Cups (2015, 2019). In addition, he was named the best player in the world at the 2017 Beach Soccer Stars awards. Biography. Mauricinho began playing beach soccer competitively in 2010; he was spotted by Brazilian beach soccer legend, Júnior Negão, playing with  friends on Copacabana Beach and was subsequently invited to play for Vasco da Gama. He was first called up to the Brazilian national team in 2012. Mauricinho began to thrive under the leadership of coach Gilberto Costa, post-2015. This rise peaked in 2017 when he was voted by fellow players and coaches as the best player in the world; this followed being declared the second best player of that year's World Cup in the Bahamas in which he scored a brace in Brazil's win in the final over Tahiti. He was also the top scorer in Beach Soccer  Worldwide competitions that year, with 54 goals. He made his 100th appearance for Brazil in an 8–2 win against Oman at the 2019 World Cup. As well as continuing to play for Vasco da Gama and winning the Copa Libertadores with the club, outside of Brazil, as is typical of top beach soccer players, Mauricinho has played for numerous clubs in Europe. In 2017, he joined top Portuguese side, Braga, and immediately won the Euro Winners Cup (EWC). In 2018, he switched to Russian rivals Kristall. Reaching the 2018 EWC final against his former Iberian club, he missed the crucial  attempt in the penalty shootout, handing Braga the victory. He redeemed himself in the 2020 edition when, in a repeat of the 2018 final, Mauricinho scored to help Kristall become European champions. Honours. The following is a selection, not an exhaustive list, of the major international honours Mauricinho has achieved: