The first thing Kaiki Bruno talks about isn't football.
It's the lake.
"I feel very happy to be here. I have just arrived at the lake, and it is very beautiful. Como, in general, is a very beautiful place."
It's an understandable first impression. On a bright summer morning at Villa Carminati, the lake fills almost every window. Kaiki is seeing it for the first time, while just a few metres away his family quietly watches the first hours of a new chapter in Italy.
Football soon becomes the conversation, but never in the way you might expect.
Ask him about his strengths and he is quick to answer. Ask him where he wants to improve and he answers just as quickly.
"I am not perfect. I still have to improve in many aspects. By improving both defensively and offensively, I believe that in the future I can become a great player."
That honesty appears more than once. Throughout the conversation he speaks less about what he has already done and more about what still lies ahead.
Joining Como, he explains, wasn't simply about moving to Europe.
It was about finding the right place to continue growing.
"What convinced me was the Como project. I felt I could adapt here very easily. I feel good inside this project and, God willing, I will do a great job here."
He uses the word adapt more than once.
For any player arriving from South America, that probably isn't a surprise. A different league, a different country and a different way of living all arrive at the same time. Kaiki doesn't pretend those changes don't exist. He simply seems ready for them.
His first conversations with Cesc Fàbregas left a similar impression.
"We spoke a lot. He explained what he expects from me and gave me advice on how to settle in. Above all, he asked for dedication. I won't lie. I am a very dedicated and ambitious guy."
Those are the words he comes back to most often.
Dedication.
Work.
Improvement.
On the pitch, he describes himself as a defender first.
"I am physically very strong. Defensively I am good. Going forward I like to dribble, but defending is the most important part of my game."
There is another ambition too.
Like many young Brazilian footballers, Kaiki hopes his performances in Europe can one day earn him another opportunity with the national team. It's a long term goal, but he talks about it in exactly the same way he talks about everything else: one step at a time.
Away from football, the conversation becomes simpler still.
Family.
Faith.
Home.
"God helps me, and so does my family. My family is always close to me. They are a fundamental part of me."
Then, almost unexpectedly, Ronaldo enters the story.
Not through a famous goal or an old video clip, but because of a moustache.
"One day Ronaldo came over to me and told me it looked good. So I said to myself, from now on, I'm keeping it."
He laughs as he tells it.
It's the sort of story that doesn't tell you much about the player.
It tells you quite a lot about the person.
Before leaving, Kaiki has one final message for the Como supporters.
"They can expect a lot of grit, a lot of desire, and I hope to make them happy."
It's not a promise of goals or trophies.
Just a promise to give everything.
For a player at the beginning of a new chapter, that feels like the right place to start.
