Casagrande joins a team of Folha columnists

THE Sheet wins this week a reinforcement for its team of columnists. Walter Casagrande Júnior, 59, Corinthians idol and former player with stints at clubs like São Paulo and Flamengo, joins the team of sports writers.

A football commentator for almost three decades, the former athlete will have two texts published a week: on Mondays and Fridays on the Sheet, on Tuesdays and Saturdays in the print editions. The first column will be published on the website this Friday (22).

A forward with experience in Italian teams and the Brazilian national team, Casagrande started working in football broadcasts in 1996, shortly after his retirement from the pitch. He started at ESPN and spent the last 25 years at Grupo Globo, which he left earlier this month.

With a direct and frank style, without fear of expressing his opinion, he conquered the position of one of the main commentators of the carioca station. For Globo, there were six World Cups – five of which were finals – and three Olympics.

The former player, who has a strong partnership with Sócrates in the Corinthian Democracy, has already signed columns in the following vehicles: Notícias Populares, O Estado de S. Paulo, Diário de S. Paulo, GQ and GE.

This year, his story was told in the four-episode documentary series “Casão – In a Game Without Rules”, available on Globoplay. In the production, he recounts uncensored his success on the pitch and his battle with drug addiction outside of it.

Now the commentator intends to carry over to the new column in Sheet its transparent way of dealing with all matters. “My opinion style is straightforward. I don’t turn around or light it up and then blow on it to criticize. I write on facts and never give gratuitous criticism,” she said.

Casagrande intends to have football as its flagship, but also wants to “travel through all segments”. “I want to have fun and amuse the readers.”