The material world becomes easily forgotten however when its impossible to walk the street after a loss.
 
"You can't go to parties if you lost a game," Cassio says, with Juliana adding, "You can't even go to the bakery! You would get abused by angry fans."
 
Like many football-mad countries, the fans are, essentially, in charge, and this was made especially clear to Cassio when he made the mistake of attending a birthday party in Rio on the night of a loss.
 
"We had played interstate and were back the same night", he recalls. "We decided to go and planned to sit in the corner the whole night, hoping no one would notice I was there.
 
"I was there only a few minutes when I went to the bathroom and was surrounded by five guys. They told me to go home now otherwise they would smash me there and then.
 
"They said 'You think we are idiots? You lose a game and think you can come here and have a few beers?' I was scared - I quickly got Juliana and went home."
 
For Juliana, fitting into the glitzy life of a football star in Brazil wasn't easy as she always saw herself as a simple girl - something Cassio says was her most endearing quality.
 
"I liked her because she wasn't into football," Cassio says. "She didn't know me, she wasn't a fan of my team."
 
What started as a chance meeting at a small town during carnaval - a time where most locals ditch central Rio - being together 14 years has meant Juliana has been by Cassio's side for most of his career; one that has seen him travel to various parts of the world.
 
"When we left Rio for the first time in his career, I knew it was serious," Juliana explains, "And there was a point where, judging by how his career was going, I realised I had to be prepared to do this for 15 years. But I was proud to do it, I still am."
 
Cassio's first season at Flamengo was a great success. As part of a side that remains as one of the most accomplished in the club's history, Cassio reflects on his time with Flamengo with great pride.
 
"Being part of the club's history for me is an amazing feeling," he says, "We won three championships that year and I still get recognised today because I was part of that team."
 
Unfortunately for the talented leftback, the memories of being at Flamengo weren't all positive, when a missed penalty in the Grand Final led to a fan protest and in his own words, he says, "they wanted me gone."
 
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