Juninho never lined up in a Boro shirt against Rotherham United.
But, for me, there will always be a strong connection between the pair of them.
That’s because I wrote up the exclusive story for the Gazette that Boro were about to sign the Brazilian whizz kid, before rushing off to Millmoor for a Coca-Cola Cup tie.
It was October 3, 1995, and the news of Boro’s sensational Samba signing sort of outstripped the fact that Boro were in cup action against Division Two opposition.
In the event Boro went to Millmoor and won 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Steve Vickers, which gave them a 3-1 win on aggregate.
By that time the Gazette’s exclusive had long since spread like wildfire and reporters from far and wide were despatched to Millmoor to check out whether the Gazette story was correct.
In fact Rotherham’s officials must have been astounded by the number of last-minute requests for media passes.
Forgettable game
Looking back, I can’t recall anything about the game.
In any case, there was too much to think about elsewhere.
But I do recall that I spent the match sitting next to a reporter from a London-based news agency who gave me earache throughout the 90 minutes.
After the final whistle, which everybody had been eagerly awaiting, the massed media troops made their way to Boro’s dressing room door.
There was no Bryan Robson to speak to the gathering, because the Boro boss was in Sao Paulo with chief executive Keith Lamb to help conduct the transfer negotiations.
Juninho signs with Bryan Robson and Keith Lamb when he signed in 1995
So it was Robbo’s assistant manager Viv Anderson who eventually emerged from the dressing room to face the media.
Naturally nobody wanted to know what Viv thought about the game.
All the questions were about Juninho.
However, Viv was not at liberty to say anything because Juninho was not yet a Boro player.
So he fended off every single question about the Brazil international.
Steve Gibson calls
Fortunately, during the course of the evening, my Juninho exclusive had been confirmed by a Brazilian journalist who had telephoned the Gazette’s night reporter to reveal that he had seen Robson and Lamb entering a meeting with the Sao Paulo officials.
This ensured that the Gazette had a second exclusive the following evening, relaying the information provided by the Brazilian reporter.
The following Saturday there was no Boro match because it was an international weekend, but I picked up the further exclusive which I needed that day – for the Sports Gazette.
Action Images
Juninho signs for Boro
Boro chairman Steve Gibson phoned early on the afternoon to reveal that the deal had been completed and Juninho was now a Boro player.
Gibson also gave me the telephone number of the hotel in Sao Paulo where Robson and Lamb were staying.
It meant that I was able to phone both men directly to get quotes and the details of the transfer agreement.
Due to the time difference, I think the duo were in bed at the time, but fortunately they were amenable – as you would expect after pulling off the greatest coup in the club’s history.
Record sales for Sports Gazette
It was great stuff for the Sports Gazette, which must have enjoyed record sales that night, great for the club, and the icing on the cake for Boro fans everywhere.
Boro had just recently moved into their new state-of-the-art home and in fact Rotherham were only the fourth visitors to the Riverside when they arrived to play the first leg of the Coca- Cola Cup tie.
Boro won that game 2-1, courtesy of goals from Robbie Mustoe and Jan Aage Fjortoft and, although my matchday notes indicate that it was a poor game to watch, the win came at the start of a particularly impressive playing period.
Jan Aage Fjortoft
Boro had beaten Coventry City by the same score in the Premier League just a few days earlier, and these two wins came at the beginning of a seven-match winning run during which time Boro began to look the business.
Following the win against Rotherham, Boro went to Manchester City and won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Nick Barmby, and then Barmby scored again as Boro beat Blackburn the following weekend.
The win at Millmoor preceded victory at Sheffield Wednesday (yes, truly, a victory at Hillsborough), while Boro then beat QPR at the Riverside.
The team’s winning run actually came to an end against Division One opposition, when Boro were held to a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace in the first leg of the Coca-Cola Cup third round.
But Boro should have won the game by a street.
They battered Palace that night with some scintillating attacking football.
Boro could achieve the unimaginable
I wrote in my notes after that game, that with Juninho in the team, Boro could achieve the unimaginable.
They were beginning to look a really good side, tight at the back thanks to Nigel Pearson’s stewardship, and very effective when going forward.
The key to Boro’s attacking prowess was the Fjortoft-Barmby-Craig Hignett unit.
Boro had already raised plenty of eyebrows during the summer when they snapped up Barmby from Spurs – the first current England international they had signed for many, many years.
Nick Barmby in February 1996
Barmby had needed a few games to settle in, but now his understanding with the other two attacking players was a delight to behold.
The trio were almost as one, passing and moving at will, and that game at Selhurst Park is memorable for the way in which it painted such a bright future.
Boro’s unbeaten run duly ended in their very next match when they went down 2-0 at Old Trafford to champions-elect Manchester United.
Then the scene was set for Juninho’s debut – in a derby at home to Leeds United.
His signing had created Juninho-mania on Teesside.
Sold-out Riverside
Huge queues formed around the Riverside as Boro fans snapped up season tickets to guarantee a sold-out stadium for every game, with many more fans disappointed.
And the Little Fella did not disappoint in his debut.
His every touch was greeted with gasps of awe, while it was fitting that he should set up Boro’s goal, which was scored by Fjortoft.
Unfortunately, future Boro player Brian Deane silenced the crowd with the Leeds equaliser, but the Juninho die was already cast.
However the way in which Juninho was treated as a superstar, and placed on a pedestal, hardly did him or the club much good in that first season.
He produced some marvellous moments at the Riverside, but was ineffective away from home and failed to score a single goal.
It hardly mattered because Boro comfortably cemented their place in the top flight by finishing in 12th place.
Juninho comes into his own
The following season Juninho came into his own and provided us with one of the most stunning individual contributions that this club has ever witnessed.
But, at the same time, he was unwittingly pushed into the Emerson-Ravanelli-Juninho triumvirate which virtually split the team into two and moved us well away from the 11-man team ethic which we had witnessed at the time of his signing.
We’ll never know what might have happened if Boro had stayed up in 1997.
Nobody would have moved on, Gibson would have provided the backing for Boro to sign another three world superstars and massive success could have followed.
Daily Mirror
Fabrizio Ravanelli and Juninho
The four cup finals, one trophy and European final appearance which we experienced during the Golden Era could have been completely eclipsed by a Juninho-led Ultra Golden Age.
Never mind, there’s no point crying over spilt milk.
A lot of water has since flowed under the Transporter, and now Rotherham are back for only their second visit to Teesside in 28 years.
Hopefully the Millers will again play a part in a run of Boro victories which leads to the start of a new epic era for the club.
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