One day, Diego Lugano, the defender who made beautiful history at São Paulo and Celeste, was asked if he played as a child at being Obdulio Varela, the Uruguay captain at the 1950 Maracanazo.
Lugano looked firmly into the interviewer’s eyes for a few long seconds and replied, very seriously, in Portuguese: “Don’t play with the gods.” But I didn’t say it, nor was it necessary.
Robinho didn’t know who Nilton Santos, the Football Encyclopedia, was.
Neymar did even worse in an interview with Romário.
Because being arrogant is uglier than being ignorant.
The best player at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, now a senator, asked Neymar three questions about who he would replace in the Brazilian teams that won the third, fourth and fifth world championships.
Neymar chose Tostāo in 1970, Dunga in 1994 and Rivaldo in 2002.
He justified his first choice with what Tostāo himself once wrote, certainly because he was unaware of the invincible modesty of Mineirinho de Ouro and, probably, because he didn’t even know the meaning of heresy.
In the attack that shined in Mexico — Jairzinho, Gérson, Tostāo, Pelé and Rivellino — Neymar’s place would be on the bench, applauding the starters.
Tostão, in addition to his minimalist refinement, played with a notion of collective football never touched upon by Neymar.
Who stepped in to replace Dunga in the United States.
Well, here barbarity is tactics, nothing to do with any comparison between the qualities of the two.
Dunga was only less important than Romário in the fourth team’s campaign and Neymar would have a place in the attack, but in Bebeto’s place, as at the peak of the two the former Santos player was superior — which, it should be noted, in no way diminishes the brilliant performance of Bebeto in that World Cup.
Finally, the even more deadly sin: Neymar said he would play in Rivaldo’s place in Asia.
The star from Pernambuco surpassed everyone in winning the fifth championship, managed to be better than the Ronaldos, and had absolute mastery of the fundamentals of the game.
If Neymar had Lugano’s behavior, he would respond to Baixinho that no one plays with the gods and would limit himself to promising commitment to be Tostāo, Dunga or Rivaldo in the 2026 World Cup, without allowing himself the audacity to replace any of the three.
Instead, he exposed himself to ridicule, as if he lived in a parallel reality and allowed comparison with Robinho.
D DAY
This Monday (20) Corinthians’ advisors must vote to impeach the club’s president, the unnameable Augusto Melo, yet another pest elected by the black and white members.
There are so many reasons for impediment that even assembling a competitive team is one of them, due to the amount of irresponsibility embedded in the effort.
The desperate thing is to see that, if the partners ratify the necessary separation, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Immediately, the oldest vice-president, Osmar Stábile, would take over, who produced, financed and assumed his film, in 2019, which propagandized the dictatorship imposed on the country in 1964.
It goes without saying what to expect from him.
That old story about if you run, the animal will catch you, if you stay, the animal will eat.
The rare reader knew since before Melo’s election that the impeachment request would come.
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