Opinion – O Mundo É uma Bola: Why did Zé da Galera, Jô Soares’ character, ask for a winger in the selection?

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First, “Bota, tip, Telê!!!”. Then, “Bota tip, heck!!!”

Unforgettable the phrases spoken and shouted by Jô Soares, who died this Friday (5th) at the age of 84, in the humorous “Viva o Gordo”, on TV Globo, in the early 1980s.

I laughed a lot with the characters played by Jô.

The second night, after the eight o’clock soap opera, was expected by me, then a boy who also loved the Sunday humorous “Os Trapalhões”, with the quartet Didi (Renato Aragão), Dedé (Santana), Mussum and Zacarias.

My favorite painting in “Viva o Gordo”, of course, because it had football as its focus, was this one, Zé da Galera.

In short, the fanatical supporter stayed at a pay phone, “talking” in a grumpy tone with the coach of the Brazilian team, first Telê Santana (1980-1982), then Carlos Alberto Parreira (1983), emphasizing at all times the need to climb the team. a tip.

After the news of Jô’s death, journalist Carlos Alberto Sardenberg commented on CBN radio about Zé da Galera, saying that the team, at the time, “had Sócrates, Zico, Falcão, Cerezo”, all excellent, but “didn’t have spikes”.

Yet it was not so. Brazil was on the left. With Telê, Zé Sérgio played there and then Éder, who was the starter in the 1982 World Cup, in Spain.

What Zé da Galera wanted was a right winger, because without him, the team seemed lame and less daring.

He was crying out for someone who would make the defenses hell, look for the bottom line, possibly missing Mané Garrincha, the best winger of all time, two-time world champion (Sweden-1958 and Chile-1962), and Jairzinho, champion in Mexico-1970 .

Telê, until shortly before the Copa-82, after testing Tarciso, Tita and Robertinho, was playing with the number 7 shirt, which was usually the right winger, Paulo Isidoro, who eventually occupied the position on the field, but right end had almost nothing.

The coach thought he didn’t need a winger there, and maybe he wasn’t really necessary, since right-back Leandro was super offensive and kept appearing in the attack.

Successor of Telê, at the beginning of his work Parreira continued the non-selection of a right winger, using Paulo Isidoro, Carlos Alberto Borges or Jorginho. Hence the insistence of Zé da Galera with his “Bota Ponta!!!”.

Until one of the best footballers I’ve seen play on the right wing appeared: Renato Portaluppi, Renato Gaúcho, Libertadores champion and world champion with Grêmio in 1983.

Renato did tricks, dribbled to one side, dribbled to the other, went to the baseline to make good crosses, finished with both legs. A show.

Parreira surrendered, summoned him, and Telê, who would return to the position in 1985, kept him in the team.

With Renato’s title, Zé da Galera was apparently satisfied and ended up disappearing from the humorous side – if he continued, I don’t have that memory.

Unfortunately, both for Zé da Galera and for fans of offensive pointers, Renato Gaúcho was cut before the 1986 World Cup, in Mexico, for indiscipline.

Brazil played this World Cup without an authentic winger, with two forwards (Müller and Careca), and that, the formation with two forwards and absent pointers, was repeated in the 1990 World Cups (Müller and Careca), 1994 (Bebeto and Romário) , 1998 (Bebeto and Ronaldo), 2006 (Adriano and Ronaldo) and 2010 (Luis Fabiano and Robinho).

In the penta campaign, in 2002, with Brazil in a 3-4-2-1 formation, there was only one striker, Ronaldo, and no wingers.

The most active strikers at the ends of the field only reappeared in the selection in the 2014 World Cup, that of the 7-1 defeat to Germany, when the attack had Fred centralized and Neymar (after Bernard) on the left and Hulk on the right.

In the most recent World Cup, the 2018 in Russia, Brazil once again used three forwards, two of them with clear performance on the wings, Willian on the right and Neymar on the left – the center forward was Gabriel Jesus.

For the Qatar Cup this year, it’s not very clear to me how the team will be assembled from the middle to the front.

Neymar has already abandoned the left wing for a while, acts centrally, and Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison even play on the sides, but without convincing as wingers.

However, if Tite climbs Raphinha on the right and Vinicius Jr. on the left, both fast, incisive, dribblers and with a taste for playing wide open, the team will be the way Zé da Galera liked so much, complained so much, insisted so much, and, doing so much, we had so much fun.

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