Long journeys are set to be part of Jamal Lewis’s life now and he’s ready to embark on another one with his new club Sao Paulo.
Not just the trip back there from Bulgaria, where he’s currently on international duty with Northern Ireland ahead of their second Nations League match on Sunday evening (5pm Irish time).
Lewis is keen to extend his stay with Sao Paulo beyond his season-long loan from Newcastle United, even if some expect him to return home before the end of this year.
“Hopefully this is a long journey with Sao Paulo. Obviously I’ve signed on a season loan and their season ends in December but hopefully it’s a long journey that started last week.”
He accepts that his time with Newcastle, whom he signed for from Norwich City four years ago, is probably over: “Potentially. I’ve spoken to the manager and I’m in my last year and I’ve done a season-long loan, so that kind of has the writing on the wall there.
“But if Sao Paulo can be my long-term home for the long-term future, that would be amazing.”
Amazing indeed.
It IS Brazil AND Northern Ireland for the 26-year-old, who may get a variant of the ‘We’re not Brazil, we’re Northern Ireland’ chant after his stunning switch to the South American giants.
He insists he didn’t think twice when his agent suggested the move to him, explaining: “I’ve always been one to test myself.
“I’ve never wanted to stay and then look back on my career and think ‘What if I did this?’ or ‘What if I did that?’, so I think this will pay dividends and hopefully will be the start of a great journey.”
Having spent last season on loan with Watford in the English Championship, Lewis could have gone elsewhere in England – but the lure of Brazil was impossible to ignore:
“Yeah, there were possibilities and with me being able to move on from Newcastle there is always going to be interest and offers - but this one, once I heard it, it was a no-brainer.
“I think some people probably thought it was quite random and out of the blue and I can’t argue with that, but if Sao Paulo were interested in my profile as a player and I’m interested in representing such a big club, it could be the start of a great journey.”
He’s already learned about the club, known as the ‘Champions of All’, the only club in Brazil to have won all available trophies, including two InterContinental Cups and the Club World Cup in 2005 – beating Liverpool in that final.
“Obviously the club is very historic. They are the most successful club in Brazil and even though I haven’t stepped onto the pitch yet, the fans have shown the passion and love they have for their club. I’m just looking forward to putting on the strip and contributing as much as possible.”
Fittingly, Sao Paulo was founded on January 25 (in 1930), which happens to be the birthday of Jamal Lewis (in 1998).
He’s delighted to join such a renowned club, saying: “I’ve always expressed an interest in playing abroad. When this came up I thought it was the opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands.
“South America is so far away, but it is a league that is looked at and globally it’s a big league with a lot of big players coming out of it.
“My Portuguese is minimal at the minute but I’m on Duolingo at the minute and I’m going to get a teacher to help me adapt too.”
The big club matches coming up are a Copa do Brasil clash with Atletico Mineiro, then the quarter-finals of the South American equivalent of the Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, against fellow Brazilians Botafogo.
Before going back to Brazil, though, the focus is on Bulgaria.
Lewis’s commitment to Northern Ireland is clear, having made a 15-hour journey via Heathrow to be back in Belfast for Thursday night’s Nations League opener, a comfortable 2-0 win over Luxembourg.
Post-match, he barely knew what day it was: “I think I arrived around 7pm on Wednesday night. My bags went missing as well, so it wasn’t the best, but I wanted to make sure I was back in time for the game.
“It’s always an honour to meet up with this team and it was always in the forefront of my mind while I was signing for Sao Paulo that I could be back in time for these two games.
“There were some bits that needed sorting out and I was happy to be here and be part of the win.
“Hopefully we get another win [in Bulgaria] before I travel back to London and then pack my bags properly and go back to Sao Paulo.”
