From Brazilian football to governor and reality cooking champion: Frickson Erazo's path

Few retired footballers follow a path like Frickson Erazo's. The Ecuadorian former defender played for Flamengo, Grêmio, Atlético-MG and Vasco in Brazil, then moved into politics, served as governor of his province and later won a celebrity cooking reality show. His career outside the game is drawing attention as two clubs he played for, Atlético-MG and Grêmio, meet on Saturday at 6 p.m. for a place in the Copa do Brasil final.

Brazilian years

Erazo arrived at Flamengo in 2014, the year Brazil hosted the World Cup, and appeared in three of that tournament's matches. He made only seven appearances for the Rio club. He said the move was difficult: he did not speak Portuguese, did not know where he would live, and went through depression and time away from his family. He credited teammates such as Léo Moura, Felipe, André Santos, Elias and Negueba with helping him, and described Flamengo as a kind of university for him.

He then played 42 matches for Grêmio, scoring twice, and said the club gave him the confidence to play his own game. Atlético-MG later signed him. Between 2016 and 2018 he made 46 appearances, won the Minas Gerais state championship and reached the 2016 Copa do Brasil final, which Atlético lost to Grêmio. He was sent off in that final. He retired in 2020.

From lawyer to governor

After leaving the game, Erazo chose a route away from football. He studied law, qualified as a lawyer and prepared for public office, with the aim of helping people in Esmeralda, his hometown. He ran for mayor of the city but lost. He was later chosen as governor of his province, a post he held for eight months. He said some people doubted him because he was a former footballer, but he believed his work on public administration and his foundation's projects, which supported mothers raising young children alone, showed he understood local needs.

Reality show champion

Last year Erazo joined a cooking reality show featuring only celebrities. He said he could not cook at all when he accepted, and that he studied intensively during the competition, trying dishes from other countries. He beat 23 other contestants to win the title of best celebrity cook. For the final, he prepared a Brazilian dessert with açaí, adding a gel made with molecular gastronomy techniques, which the judges liked.

Erazo said he now loves cooking, is studying it and wants to work professionally in the kitchen. He also said he is considering writing a book about his life.