And this Sunday (8) another edifying edition of the country’s main football tournament, the Campeonato Brasileiro, ended. And we must once again congratulate the fair champion, Botafogo.
This is the time to say that the black and white team from Rio had the best squad, the best team (they are not the same thing) and the best coach of the year. It also has the worst manager: João Textinho is very reminiscent of Eurico Miranda’s worst moments, but this is not the time to talk about that, or the lack of financial fair play — which is not Botafogo’s fault.
But what does this illustrious championship teach us? First, a math lesson: three points in the first round are not equal to the same three points in the last round. It’s important how it ends, not how it begins.
Take Corinthians, to give just one big example: Augustus Melos’ team — the president without plurals and who spares no efforts or reinforcements (they say that those who don’t pay don’t need to save) — were runner-up in the second round, with 37 points, after adding 19 in the first round, and ends the tournament with the fans celebrating.
But, if the shifts were reversed, despite the same 56 total points, they would be spray-painting the wall, calling for impeachment and, worse, making fun of top scorer Yuri Alberto.
Therefore, mathematics can indeed be a trick.
This humble scribe would also like to join the ranks of apologies to Yuri, the most criticized striker of the first round — alongside Pedro Raul, his aesthetic partner at Corinthians.
The striker finishes the championship as top scorer, with 15 goals, alongside Alerrandro, from Vitória, who has two Rs and belongs to Bragantino. Is it a great number of goals for an artillery? It is, but it has its dignity.
After leaving the light treatment aside and adopting the real tone of his hair, Yuri took a spectacular leap towards the top. In the last nine games, there were eight goals.
Thus, Yuri and Pedro Raul, the most beautiful duo in Corinthians history, finished the contest with 15 goals, including Yuri’s 15. I won’t do any more math.
At Palmeiras, the honorable second place did not go down well — a position that should be celebrated against Botafogo. Professor Abel, so good in past interviews, could have given a slightly better speech after the painful last round. Knowing how to lose is also an art.
Round 38 – Post-credit carnage
Before the last week of the tournament, we had the last death in the dreaded Round 38, version 2024: Gabriel Milito, from Atlético-MG, could lose to Flamengo, in the Copa do Brasil, or to Botafogo, in the Libertadores; but I couldn’t lose to Vasco in the Brazilian Championship.
Thus, six teachers survived from Round 1 of the tournament: 3 Brazilians (Rogério Ceni, Renato Gaúcho and Cláudio Tencati) x 3 Foreigners (Artur Jorge, Abel Ferreira and Juan Pablo Vojvoda). And there is also Roger Machado, a teacher who played in 38 rounds, despite having changed teams along the way, but let’s consider the Brazilian victory: 4 x 3.
However, as happens in those horror films, with surprise post-credits scenes, we already had two more deaths the day after the end of the Brazilian Championship: Renato Gaúcho (Grêmio) and Tencati (Criciúma) were, let’s say, discontinued.
We ask for a minute of silence.
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