Buriram United confirmed at the weekend that they would not be offering Brazilian striker Macena a new contract, thus breaking up the 54 goal partnership with Diogo. It is not a popular decision with many Buriram United fans who took Macena to their hearts with his tireless running and unselfish approach.
Buriram Times owner Hywel Williams and myself met up with Macena to discuss the record-breaking season and talk about his time living in Buriram. It became patently obvious from the outset that he is bitterly disappointed not to be given another season at Thunder Castle. 
He spoke candidly about life in Thailand and Buriram in particular. He told us that he settled in very quickly and like all foreigners, he was amazed to see how much Buriram United means to the people. Macena came to Buriram United from China and he told us that though the top league overall is stronger than the Thai Premiership, he has enjoyed playing here more than at any time in his career.
Obviously playing in such a good team which has achieved unprecedented success in Thailand helps, but he said the strong bond between the Thai players and the foreigners was not present in China. I mentioned the complete togetherness of the team and he agreed that it was the reason Buriram United overcame hurdles when they presented themselves.
It is too early for him to think about the future but he loves Thailand and would seriously consider an offer from one of the top teams. He could earn more money in China and Japan but bigger wages would not tempt him to leave Thailand if the right club came along.
We then discussed the mediocre start to the season and he felt that he settled quicker than Diogo who showed few signs of developing into the deadly striker he became. I asked about the change in tactics later in the season and he wholeheartedly agreed that Buriram United were at their best when they played with pace and pressed high up the pitch. Macena added that when Buriram United were in full flow, it was pure joy to play with such speed and freedom. We talked about his partnership with Diogo and he said that like many strikers, Diogo is a “confidence player” and when the goals started to go in the understanding grew very quickly.
I stated that for me personally, I loved watching them as a pair. It was not the normal two up front, they both worked the channels and this pulls central defenders out of position. Add to this the awareness of where each other was all the time and you have the reason for their prolific partnership.
Naturally, Diogo took the plaudits for his 33 goals but I watched all of Buriram’s 98 league goals the other day and lost count of Macena’s assists. I know Diogo is heartbroken to lose his close friend and strike partner.
We moved on to discuss other team members. He admires Tunez both as a defender and organizer very much. I said that I felt Tunez was also an excellent “footballer” as well and he was in total agreement. His ball skills and distribution are superb.
We went on to one of my players of the season Seul-Ki. Macena said that when he first saw him he thought he was a good player. But like me, he feels that Seul-Ki has blossomed into a high-quality creative midfield player. Macena also felt that Jakkaphan is progressing well and that Anawin is a better player than many people give him credit for.
I asked about Suchao and he said as the captain of the club he has the utmost respect and loyalty of all the Thai players and quickly added, the foreigners as well. I was keen to ask about the young players coming through. He mentioned Anon and Chaowat but felt the most gifted one is Supachok. We shall see.
We then began to reminisce about certain games, goals and incidents and he was very animated and you could see the enthusiasm in his eyes. This is a really likable man who has given his all to the club and supporters. It was difficult not to get emotional when the time came to say goodbye.
Both Hywel and myself wished him the very best for the future and he is going to keep in touch to let us know how he is going on. I thanked him on behalf of all Buriram United supporters for his efforts and the great memories he has left us with from this wonderful season.
After a few “manly” hugs he managed to get into his car and drive off for pastures new. We WILL miss you my Samba friend.