When the Lisbon Devils won their first ever championship title in Portugal a month ago, running back Malcolm Gasque was a key factor. He was the first import to ever suit up for the Devils (quarterback Joey Bradley and receiver Collin Franklin signed on afterwards) and he went on to enjoy a banner year for himself and the team.
His exploits in Portugal did not go unnoticed as the 5’7″, 190 lb Gasque was quickly picked up by Brazil‘s São Paulo Storm of the São Paulo Football League at the end of the season in Portugal. After only two games, it would seem the club is satisfied with their choice of import – he is the only non-Brazilian player on the team – as the Storm are 2-0 and have blanked both opponents.
Gasque is serving up some real excitement and has already rushed for almost 200 yards and two touchdowns in both of the Storm‘s shutout wins.
Photo: São Paulo Storm
It should be noted that Brazil is one of the few countries in the world, and certainly the largest, where Portuguese is the native language. So ties between Portugal and Brazil and pretty tight. Brazilian American football media regularly covers the game in Portugal as shown in this article about Gasque.
Gasque, who played in the California Community College Athletic Association for Orange College, is enjoying life as a football nomad this year.
“This is a dream come true for me. I get to see the world and play football too.”
Despite the language similarity, there is a big difference between the style of play in the two countries as Gasque notes:
“The game is quicker and faster in Portugal as the players are a little smaller. Here in Brazil, the players are much bigger.”
Another difference is the size of the crowds. In Portugal, where the game has been slow in catching on, Gasque was playing in front of a few hundred fans while in Brazil crowds can range from between 3,000 to 7,000.
As to how long this international American football journey will continue for Malcolm Gasque he is not certain. But life for the 23 year old has definitely become more interesting.
