Nottingham Forest’s manager Steve Cooper was in awe of his new signing Gustavo Scarpa, despite the team losing out to Blackpool in the FA Cup earlier this month.
He praised Scarpa’s technique and his willingness to make an impact and gave the Brazilian a spot in the starting XI against Manchester United in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Too bad Forest couldn’t hold United at bay and lost 3-0 but once again Scarpa was hailed as a spark of light in an otherwise dull set of performances.
But who is Gustavo Scarpa? And why is he in the spotlight for Forest?
Apart from being an attacking midfielder who made his way to England in the winter transfer window of 2023 from Palmeiras, Scarpa might just be a player with extremely cool hobbies, a trait you don’t see in most players these days.
The 29-year-old joined Forest and has already garnered a cult status among the fans with just three appearances for the team. The reason is Scarpa’s list of hobbies, which he adores and doesn’t shy away from demonstrating at any turn. It’s an impressive and diverse list that contains skateboarding, solving Rubik’s cubes, reading world literature, and playing the guitar.
In his introductory video for Forest, Scarpa said, “I’m very happy that there are skate parks here.”
Many other players would have spoken only about the sport they’re currently involved in, but Scarpa took the time to share his love for his extracurriculars.
His penchant for solving Rubik’s cubes is well known and, given his expertise, Scarpa can solve one in 30 seconds. Scarpa is so enthralled and smitten by Rubik’s cubes that he led his former club, Palmeiras, to sell their own brand of personalized Scarpa puzzles. He didn’t stop here. Scarpa once showed his guitar-playing skills by playing the Palmeiras club anthem which gained him more affection from the fans.
He’s already got Brennan Johnson, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Renan Lodi hooked on solving a Rubik’s cube, but none have the skill that Scarpa seems to have mastered. It only tells us one thing Scarpa’s fever for hobbies is slowly engulfing the dressing room.
The Brazilian was even seen on the streets of Nottingham, skateboarding for fun, the hobby which he holds dearest, and it certainly looks like Scarpa knows his gig.
Scarpa also boasts about reading heavy-duty novels like Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, which is a task for serious literature students.
Scarpa comes across as a well-cultured man with curiosity running through his veins. His hobbies denote that. It’s admirable to have these qualities to take the pressure off when needed, but Scarpa should be wary that his extreme coolness doesn’t come in the way of his full-time day job.
However, one thing’s for sure if it doesn’t work out with football, Scarpa has plenty of hobbies to come back to and turn into a profession.