Brazilian Felipe Gabriel opens up about life in Latvia, famous friends, and citizenship

Felipe Gabriel dos Santos-Xavier, a Brazilian, recently acquired Latvian citizenship. His Instagram feed is filled with photos and videos with celebrities, F1 events, and parties in Ibiza, prompting questions about his finances and lifestyle.

In an interview, Felipe explains that he first arrived in Latvia in 2014. Before that, he played football in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. He would return to Brazil after each season, but realized he did not want to stay there, having grown up witnessing violence and crime in São Paulo. His best friend was killed by a drunk driver.

He came to Latvia to play football, but a friend lied about the level of the league—it was not the top tier as promised. Disappointed, he planned to stay only a month or two. However, on the day of arrival, his friend took him to Old Riga, and he fell in love with the city. Since then, he has lived in Latvia, recently attending exclusive events and meeting celebrities.