Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, was presented with three Corinthians shirts and a plaque of honor signed by Osmar Stábile, president of the São Paulo team. On that occasion, the American received uniforms with the names of the players Sócrates, number 8, and Wladimir, number 4, as well as a personalized version with his surname.
Mamdani met with Corinthians leaders at an event last Saturday (20). Walter Casagrande Jr., former player of the team and current commentator, Rafael Castilho, cultural director of Corinthians, and Vinicius Cascone, former legal director of the team, participated in the meeting.
The event takes place after the Democrat published a video about Brazil at the World Cup on social media. The material was released hours before the team’s debut in a game against Morocco, on the 13th.
In the video, the American politician highlighted the performance of former player Sócrates. “As we look forward to Brazil versus Morocco, I’ve been thinking lately about Socrates, not the ancient Greek philosopher but the Brazilian midfield maestro,” said Mamdani.
“Sócrates played for both Brazil and the national team in the 1970s and 1980s. Including the 1982 World Cup, where he was captain of the national team,” he stated.
An opponent of Republican President Donald Trump, the mayor of New York also cited the military dictatorship in Brazil and Corinthian Democracy. The club’s movement in the 1980s had team players in control of the club’s decisions.
“These were difficult years in Brazil. A repressive military junta governed the country, imposing its rule by force. At Corinthians, the club he captained, Sócrates and his teammates participated in what ordinary Brazilians dreamed of: democracy”, explained the politician.
