“I want to celebrate these past 15 years,” says De Souza. Photo: Laurent Masurel/WSL
Adriano De Souza is hands down one of the most inspirational athletes in surfing’s history. Born in a poor neighborhood in Guarujá, his surfing life began with the gift of a seven-dollar surfboard bought by his brother. He succeeded long before becoming a world champion, winning fans with a soft-spoken and always gracious demeanor, but his 2015 world title brought his rags-to-riches story full circle. He’s the underdog — living proof that anything is possible, and to see the humble beginnings De Souza came from are nothing less than uplifting. So with all this in mind, the announcement that de Souza will be having just one more go at it all in 2021 is an important moment in the sport.
“In the past 15 years I gave my life to surfing, with high dedication, and I lived surfing in a 1,000 percent way,” he said this week. “Competing without passion is not a champion attitude, and it doesn’t match with the energy of the sport. I want to celebrate these past 15 years – during this time I built relationships around the whole world, with beloved ones, and developed a strong connection with family, friends, and fans – I want to spread a message of a new light on my path. With a competition jersey, I was always focused on great results, because I’m a World Champion but I wanted to do some things I’ve always imagined, like being part of a special event without so much pressure or go on a surf trip with friends.”
So 2021 will serve as a goodbye tour for De Souza, it seems, who said “My goal is to complete the whole CT in 2021 because I have so many friends and I don’t want to say a ‘half-goodbye’. My expectations are high right now, especially for Saquarema, where I believe it will be so intense. This ‘goodbye’ vibe will give me good energy.”
De Souza, who was only able to compete in three contests in 2019 due to injury, will kick off the next World Tour campaign with seven career World Tour victories under his belt, including two at home in Rio and the 2015 Billabong Pipe Masters — the year he became the second Brazilian competitor to win a world title.
