I was joining Barcelona, then Betis came in – only later did I realise it was a world-record fee

Denilson's skill made him a cult hit with fans, earning him a £21.5m transfer to La Liga. In his own words, he tells his story, via relegation in Seville, World Cup glory with Brazil and a car park snub at Bolton...

- Interview Caio Carrieri

The place where I started playing football was a dusty street, the pitch nothing more than a stretch of earth. I was seven years old and it was the only thing I knew how to do. I grew up in Jardim Paineiras, a working-class neighbourhood on the outskirts of Diadema, a city just outside Sao Paulo. My older brother had been born when our parents still lived in a shack. By the time I came along, things had improved slightly – we lived in a small brick house, but it was a very simple home, just about enough for the five of us. My sister slept in the same bed as my mother and father, and I shared a mattress with my brother. Luxury it definitely wasn't.

Financially, we were just OK. We didn't own much, but I can't complain about my childhood overall. My parents never let food run out at home. They worked tirelessly to make sure that we never went hungry. My mum was a cleaner and my dad had a job at Ford. That's how they raised the three of us.

What truly fascinated me as a child was the street football, those endless two-versus-two battles, with the goals marked out by a pair of flip-flops. Being left-footed, I'd constantly beg to borrow someone else's left boot. My parents couldn't afford to keep buying me new pairs, and since I played non-stop, my boots wore out quickly. Sometimes I'd end up playing with one bare right foot and someone else's boot on my left.

Beyond the street kickabouts, I grew up in the varzea - the gritty, uneven dirt pitches of Sao Paulo's amateur football scene. It's where I learned two priceless lessons. The first was losing any fear. The varzea toughened me up - I was always playing against older, stronger lads and got intimidated a lot in the beginning. Over time, I became braver.