Mané Severiano from Botafogo was in Buenos Aires as a tourist in 1995, when Botafogo won its first Brasileirão, although it also won the 1968 Taça Brasil, just as important, but another tournament.
On November 30th he arrived in the Argentine capital to spend two weeks and from there he followed Botafogo’s victory in the decision with Santos, almost 40 years ago.
Since then, he has fasted on important achievements and remained devoted to the Lone Star club because a true fan never abandons his passion.
Superstitious so as not to be just redundant with Botafoguismo, although also pessimistic, to remain 100% pleonastic, he decided that the unprecedented cup would only come if he was at the Monumental de Núñez, now no longer on a tour, but as a missionary.
Mané Severiano never had doubts between Garrincha and Túlio, but on the way back to Buenos Aires, where he had never returned, he discovered that Luiz Henrique, shirt number 7 on his back, seemed to want to instill a doubt in his head, suddenly beset by the heresy of contesting the place of the Anjo das Pernas Tortas in the history of the black and white champion since 1907.
“It’s not because of football”, he argued with himself, “incomparable, but because of the size of the achievement”.
Garrincha, Didi, Quarentinha, Amarildo, Zagallo, Manguinha, Nilton Santos, Jairzinho, Túlio, Mauricio, also number 7, scorer of the goal that ended the 21-year line in 1979, none of them gave General Severiano’s club such a title. important as the one achieved in the legendary Buenos Aires stadium.
Mané Severiano knew that Fogão was the favorite, which, instead of reassuring him, only made him more distressed.
And the Angolan giant Bastos was out of the decision, a bad sign in the tormented head of Mané Severiano.
Before telling how Mané watched the final, it is necessary to say that, although he is the same name, he has no relation to the general, a category that is in decline for good reasons in the neighborhood of Botafogo and throughout the country, not to mention in America.
Never before, in its 86 years of history, had the Monumental de Núñez been so colorful in black and white.
As we know, when the ball starts rolling, favoritism dissolves like everything solid melts into air.
Then, with less than a minute, in 40 seconds, Gregore hits Fausto Vera in the face and is sent off the field.
The favoritism had just gone up in smoke.
The origin of the name Gregore is Greek and means vigilant, appropriate for midfielders like him who, however, exaggerated his vigilance.
It doesn’t hurt. Or it didn’t hurt.
Because, even in the first half, Luiz Henrique showed why Mané is a bit of a heretic: he scored a goal and suffered a penalty to go into the break with 2-0 on the scoreboard.
Artur Jorge showed a lesson in boldness, by not changing the team with one less.
As certain things just happen…, yes, it happened that Vargas decreased less than two minutes into the second half.
But the well-armed Botafogo not only resisted but, in the 7th minute of injury time, saw Júnior Santos receive the spirit of Garrincha and after bending the defense on the right, make the unlikely 3-1.
Mané Severiano thinks about walking home.
Because every step you take will be to revere Luiz Henrique, without comparisons.
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