The last FIFA Date of the year will begin. And if it’s the latter, it’s good news. The European championships will be interrupted for another round of the Nations League — a tournament that no one gives a damn about, other than the champion, like our Paulistinha.
For us, it means the interruption of the Brazilian Championship with just five rounds to go, with Botafogo and Palmeiras competing for the title, Inter running over in the final stretch towards the top 3 (maybe?), Flamengo activating the happy 2025 mode and optimistic Corinthians (surprise) dreaming about Libertadores (the party never ends).
Instead of the final rounds, we will face two more rounds of the monotonous South American Qualifiers. Monotonous for Brazilians and Argentines, since, with six (and a half) possible places among ten countries, the two teams won a lifetime ticket to compete in the World Cups. It’s like facing the Brazilian with the goal of a place in the South American Championship. But on TV they will try to say that the game is dramatic or something similar.
Therefore, this humble scribe would like to suggest another little program, the series “Luis Enrique: Você Não Sabe P**** None”, available on Max streaming (formerly HBO).
Not to be confused with Luiz Henrique, Botafogo striker and main highlight of the second round. The Luis Enrique of the series is the former Spanish player, former Barcelona coach and current PSG coach, that team that doesn’t have Neymar, Messi or Mbappé.
There are just three episodes lasting just over 40 minutes, little more than a game with halftime and extra time. Luis Enrique had already shown in the Qatar Cup that he was a rare figure. Totally averse to the press, he became a streamer at the World Cup, speaking to more than 800,000 followers about a variety of topics, including types of bicycles, one of his obsessions.
After his early elimination from the World Cup, he signed with PSG, and his first year at the helm of the Paris club is the period portrayed in the series — not a summary of his entire career.
Cleverly, director Duncan McMath — the same director behind “Ronaldo, o Fenômeno”, available on Globoplay — treats the season almost like an accessory. There are no interviews with team players, staff or former colleagues.
The focus is on the intimacy and idiosyncrasies of Luis Enrique, with one or two comments from his wife, Elena, and Luís Campos, PSG’s football director, which serve to highlight the protagonist’s restlessness. Next to the coach, the agitated Pep Guardiola, his former Barcelona teammate, looks like a Buddhist monk.
For fans of celebrity players, the documentary shows a little about the manager’s relationship with Mbappé, who was negotiating his departure to Real Madrid.
The third episode, the most personal, rescues a little of the drama of the coach, whose daughter, Xana, died at the age of nine, in 2019, victim of bone cancer. The technician created a foundation to help families in the same situation, but without resources. Even at this point, while viewers can wipe away their tears, the positivist professor celebrates life and the incredible nine years he had with his daughter.
If Luis Enrique has a problem, it’s with the press (those scoundrels). He suggested the title of the series, which sums up what he thinks of football analysts, “you don’t know shit”. This scribe, who doesn’t know shit, would bet that the series will be more fun than Venezuela x Brazil.
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