In Brazil he was a DJ and worked for TV Globo. In Portugal, he has starred in a TV series, co-presented Eurovision, presented film screenings, illustrated cartoons and paid fines. He's a non-practising designer, so even training doesn't help define what Wandson does. But with each new adventure, the number of followers on Instagram grows, and crossing the street in his company guarantees at least three stops every ten metres.

When he moved to Porto in 2005, the hardest part was done: leaving his friends and family behind. Now it seemed that Europe was a big blank map, waiting to be drawn with memories. But the city had other plans. "When I came to Porto, I thought I was like a plant in a pot that could go anywhere. And suddenly I started to feel like a plant that was taking root. The pot was being broken and Porto began to embrace me. And I began to embrace Porto. And suddenly Porto became my home."

But there are no regrets about this capture: "I remade myself. I remade my life. I made a lot of friends. I built a house. I built a life." Wandson talks fondly about his neighbours, about strangers and acquaintances he meets in cafés. All of them, people to whom it's nice to give a hug. "I think the best hugs I've ever given was to Aduela. That's for sure. And very drunk, but very happy. Consciously drunk, because I remembered the next day that I'd given a hug."

The take-off to stardom on the web began with careful photographs of toys. With solid backgrounds and tender frames, these photos ended up resulting in something that nowadays seems archaic: articles in the digital press featuring Wandson as an Instagram user of note. With a current scenario where more and more people are taking on the role of "content creators", with a natural fragmentation into hundreds of thousands of small niche leaders in each country, such articles no longer seem possible — but Wandson continues to be a reference across niches. Perhaps the secret of this "accessible idol" is just that: in this digital landscape, knowing how to give a good face-to-face hug.