Juninho burns with the purest of passions

"I REALLY don't know what fires Juninho. But he has shown quite amazing energy through these demanding games," the Middlesbrough manager, Bryan Robson, said on the eve of today's Cup final.

Had Robson ever visited Juninho's house in the humdrum suburb of Ingleby, Barwick - or Copaca Barwick as it is now referred to Robson's attention would surely have been caught by the objects positioned on the mantelpiece in the Brazilian's front room.

On one side, together in the same frame, are embroidered miniatures of Juninho's jerseys from Middlesbrough and Brazil (number 10, of course). On the other are some Brazilian figurines. But in between, occupying centre stage, is a photograph of Juninho with his sister Gislene. In the picture Juninho has his hands on something instantly recognisable: the FA Cup.

Playing for Brazil, playing for Middlesbrough, success and his family - all cod psychologists could have a stab at what fires Juninho, although what has been - so impressive these past few months is the sheer intensity of the fire burning inside his 5 ft 5in, 9 st frame.

Consumed by the desperate circumstances in which he and Middlesbrough found themselves. Juninho has turned in performances of electrifying quality over which his irresistible first half against Manchester United was the pinnacle.

Yet football is only one part of Juninho's appeal; what has swayed so many neutrals his way was the overwhelming power of his anguish as he sat on the browning clay of Elland Road last Sunday.

This was no fleeting football drama, this was the moment that - despite his unflagging, passionate contribution, Juninho realised that his life, his home and that his employers were set to change.

Most significantly of all, in his eyes it was a moment of personal failure, and the mix of sadness and anger was so strong that on the team coach home, while the British players fell into the familiar routine of cards and lager, Juninho raged on. At a service station he got off the coach. He did not get back on.

"Weeping inside," was the phrase he used to describe his feelings, and every minute since Sunday has been spent trying to move away from those emotions into a positive state of mind for today. The passing of time appeared to be working too, judging by his smiling, beguiling appearance at the Riverside press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

On Wednesday evening came the second wincing body blow in four days. Mario Zagallo, manager of Brazil, had omitted Juninho from the Brazilian squad to play in the Copa America and Four Nation Tournament in France this summer.

Bewildered and disillusioned, on Thursday Juninho blamed everything and everyone - himself, Zagallo, Middlesbrough, the power of the media. "When I have been scoring goals frequently lately," he said, "they were never shown on Brazilian television. But when I was sitting crying on the pitch at Leeds it was everywhere, on the TV, in all the papers. I am so annoyed, and very depressed at being forgotten by Zagallo."

Even victory today would only partially alleviate the despair enveloping Juninho, although at least he knows the FA Cup final is televised in Brazil.

Most players go through the motions of pledging their loyalty, but when Juninho said before relegation, "I believe in Middlesbrough," his conviction was convincing.

At a supporters' meeting on Tuesday, though, it was clear that in his head, if no other part of his anatomy, he has already moved on. "If I have to go," he told his adoring Teesside public, "my heart will stay in Middlesbrough for ever".

To where Juninho goes has become topic of the week. He said he needed "to be in the centre" - meaning the centre of Brazilian attention - and this inevitably means Spain. Juninho is booked on a late night flight to Brazil on Sunday night.

The situation is, still fluid and Juninho could be back in England soon. He was deeply flattered by Alex Ferguson's praise, and playing in the Champions' League is a centre of attention. Ferguson has been in contact with Robson this week and the Manchester United manager may yet have the player he considered should have been Footballer of the Year rather than Gianfranco Zola.

Intriguingly, Juninho voted for Zola in the Players' Award and said of the Italian: "I used to watch him on Brazilian television when he was with Parma. He is a wonderful footballer. He is very creative, very exciting, but I hope he does not play so well against us. I am looking forward to the challenge of Zola. It should be an open final but that's the English way. I just hope we can win it this time."

If so then Juninho will be able to replace that photograph of his mantelpiece, because the trophy in the picture is a replica, the picture part of a promotional exercise. It is just about the only fake thing attached to Juninho; today he deserves to get his hands on the real thing.