Opinion – Sandro Macedo: The cleverness of Seu Panini in the Copa album

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It is likely that the person most anxious about being called up to the World Cup, after the player’s mother, of course, is Mr. Panini, or Seu Panini — let’s call Mr. Panini the person who takes care of the selection of players who go to the pre -Cup call, read sticker album.

His Panini must be (or should) be the only man with WhatsApp for the 32 coaches of the national teams that are going to Qatar – he deleted Paulo Sousa’s number after he left Poland for Flamengo and, later, for unemployment insurance, but probably there’s Lewandowski, who runs the team. Because there may be children who do not attend the opening of the Cup, or who do not care who qualifies between Mexico and Poland (without Paulo Sousa). But they all want to complete the sticker album, and with the right stickers.

In this atypical year, in which the calendar approached the Christmas Cup, that album appeared last week, in the middle of August — in other quadrenniums, we would have even stopped crying over the lost title… or won.

In 2018, Seu Panini was unlucky with an injury to Daniel Alves. And he mistakenly bet on Giuliano, now at Corinthians. Those were the two outs among the 18 cards summoned by Professor Tite.

This year, Seu Panini has already shown some cleverness. First, he was lucky: FIFA increased the number of players called up from 23 to 26; but Seu Panini kept the 18 cards of athletes per team, so it was easier to get right — some urban legends point to Seu Panini himself as the articulator of the increase in players summoned by FIFA. He denies.

Another cleverness: in this year’s album, all the selections (or at least all that this scribe noticed) are with two goalkeepers. Sure! It is much easier to hit the goalkeepers, position of confidence, almost never changes. And if he changes, he will be the third goalkeeper. Thus, in this year/album Seu Panini has already scored Alisson and Ederson. Point for him.

Another trick, with the sticker book coming out before the end of the transfer window, Seu Panini ordered the information on each player’s team to be deleted, which was on the 2018 sticker. from Real Madrid, or Lucas Paquetá from Lyon — it seems that Newcastle das Arabias sent a truckload of money to take Paquetá out of France. After all, Seu Panini can’t wait for the window to end to print the stickers. Who do they think they are to keep buying or selling players until the end of August? Must be childless people who buy hardcover albums.

Finally, in attack, Seu Panini needed to take some risk. I can even imagine the conversation with Professor Tite on zap.

— “Seu Tite, this is Seu Panini, I can’t wait any longer, can I look like Pedro?”
— “Hey, Seu Panini, all the press has already summoned Pedro, I like Pedro, but it has to look like the vacancy is open… And Matheus Cunha?
— “Hmmm. I’m printing the Richarlison then. Bye.”
— “Thanks, Mr. Panini, Towards hexa, then. I’m going to Maraca.”

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