The only player of this century to remain at Corinthians for more than a decade, Cássio continues to accumulate marks that reinforce the arguments of those who point to him as the greatest goalkeeper in the club’s history.
Statistics are not always enough to properly describe the size of an athlete in a club’s idol gallery, but the numbers achieved by him are very expressive.
Often compared to other players in the position, especially Ronaldo, the number 12 is on the verge of equaling one of the greatest marks achieved by the legendary goalkeeper who shone at the club between the 80s and 90s, becoming the third athlete who most often wore the shirt. alvinegra.
As soon as the ball rolls for the clash between Corinthians and Ceará, this Saturday (16), in Fortaleza, for the Brazilian Championship, the current owner of the Corinthians goal will reach the 602nd duel for the black and white team.
He is also on his way to, in a short time, become the second place in the historical ranking, surpassing Luizinho, idol of the 50’s, who totaled 607. Thus, he will only be behind Wladimir, a side who totaled 806 games in the 70’s and 80.
Last weekend, when he received a plaque for having completed 600 games for the team against Flamengo, the number 12 showed pride, but preferred to value Ronaldo.
“I don’t have that vanity to think I’m the greatest. For me, Ronaldo is the greatest in the history of Corinthians, I have a lot of respect for him. I know I have great chances of passing him in terms of numbers, but I don’t have that vanity and this fight of thinking I’m bigger, it’s not my profile”, he said.
At 35 years old, the gaucho from Veranópolis is in his 11th season with the Parque São Jorge team and is once again experiencing a moment of redemption.
Three months after living with criticism from the fans and even death threats, which led him to file a complaint with the police, the goalkeeper managed to overcome a troubled phase. He is one of the pillars of the squad currently commanded by Vítor Pereira.
Without him, it would be difficult to imagine that the team led by the Portuguese would be alive and fighting for titles in three competitions —Campeonato Brasileiro, Copa do Brasil and Copa Libertadores.
In the most recent confrontation in which he left the field exalted as a hero, Cássio saved two penalties in the dispute with Boca Juniors (ARG). The archer reached 24 penalty shots defended in the team —Ronaldo has 27—, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the continental tournament.
The following day, councilors from Alvinegro sent a letter to President Duilio Monteiro Alves to ask that the goalkeeper be honored with a bust in Parque São Jorge as soon as he hangs up his gloves. Despite the request having been made in the heat of the celebration of an important classification, Cássio already has merits to be eternalized by the club.
Since his debut on March 28, 2012, he has accumulated nine titles: four Paulistas (2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019), two Brazilians (2015 and 2017), one Libertadores (2012), one Recopa (2013) and one World Cup. (2012). He had outstanding performances in all these tournaments, especially in the conquests of ten years ago.
When he became an idol, he had a dazzling phase and began to enjoy the benefits of fame with exaggeration. The athlete himself told this in a statement to the book “Cássio — The trajectory of the greatest goalkeeper in the history of Corinthians” (2019), by journalist and historian Celso Unzelte.
“There were situations in 2014 and 2015 when I woke up and my house was full of people I didn’t even know. There were situations where I woke up at night, had a party at home and didn’t know who was there”, he reported.
As a result, in 2016 he experienced his worst season at Parque São Jorge. In May of that year, the week he received the news of the death of his grandmother, Maria Luiza, he lost his starting position to Walter at the option of coach Tite. If it weren’t for that period on the bench, he could have already reached Ronaldo’s mark.
The former goalkeeper could also have established a more extensive playing record. He reached the 602nd game for the alvinegro team at age 30, in 1998, five years younger than Cássio is currently. At the time, the paulistano was still working at a high level and had been one of the highlights of the Paulista’s conquest the previous year, but his career in the team ended after the arrival of Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
The coach was hired at a time when the goalkeeper was negotiating the renewal of his contract, but the agreement did not go ahead because the coach, according to the now ex-athlete, wanted to undermine his leadership and demonstrate power. Ronaldo and Luxemburgo did not even live together for a month in Parque São Jorge.
In 2012, in an interview with former teammate Neto, who also left Corinthians in early 1998, on UOL, the former goalkeeper said that he had no regrets about the coach. “But there are bad things that it’s good not to find in life”, he denied.
Cassio, in turn, will reach the mark of 602 matches still with a long contract ahead of him. In January, he renewed his contract until the end of 2024. He therefore has time to extend his records.
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