Filipe Toledo, shirt 77, wants to take off like Corinthians post-Basílio

Filipe Toledo was 19 years old when the World Surfing League (WSL) introduced numbers on the shirts of its athletes in 2015. “As you know, 77 is the year that Basilio took Coringão out of line. Go Corinthians!”, said the paulista, justifying his choice.

“Fanatic Corinthians fan”, as he described himself, he won the first stage with the mesh, in Gold Coast, Australia, and fought for the lead until the end of the season, but ended up losing the fight. After that, he had good times and took the runner-up in 2021, but it was only after nine years on the circuit that he achieved what he dreamed of so much.

“We suffer, but we don’t give up,” he said, in an interview with Sheet, sharing the feeling with the other members of Fiel. “It came at the right time, with a more special taste. There were long years of fights and training and work and sacrifices. The moment to lift the trophy was, like: ok, I got it now, right, everything went well, it took a while, but it arrived. “

Relief was the word that Toledo, now 27, used when he received the 2022 world champion cup last week. A recurring lexical choice among Corinthians fans on October 13, 1977, when midfielder Basilio’s goal took 22 years, eight months and seven days off their backs.

The alvinegro fasting ended in that Paulista Championship, and the team got used to winning. In 1979, with Socrates – who had to explain to the fans that anxiety was no longer necessary and get them used to a new rhythm –, the conquest was repeated. In 1982 and 1983, in the historic period of Corinthian Democracy, the bi came on top of rival São Paulo.

Just like his club after the release by Basilio’s angelic foot, Filipe now wants to familiarize himself with the triumph. Free from the martyrdom that made him even more identified with the prototype “Corinthian, maloqueiro and sufferer”, he now seeks to mirror himself in the association that, released from the old ties, won seven Brazilian titles and two world titles.

In the case of the surfer, what is within reach is repeating glory in the elite of the world circuit and fighting for an Olympic medal. Surfing, which made its debut on the Games program in Tokyo-2020, will return to gold in Paris-2024, on the waves of Tahiti, French Polynesia.

“Without a doubt, it takes a weight off my back, and I feel much lighter, much calmer, much more prepared and confident for the next one”, said shirt 77. “Whether you like it or not, when we understand how it works, how the formula… Undoubtedly, I will come back bothering you next year.”

Toledo’s party in San Clemente last week was similar to that of the alvinegro heroes of 45 years ago. “Something more private happened, with the closest people. It all happened very fast, in fact, I didn’t even have time to understand what was happening”, he said.

The account is curiously similar to Basil’s. The Pé de Anjo is to this day – and will always be – venerated as a kind of messiah of the Corinthians, but, on the night that he opened the sea to a suffering people, without knowing what to do and without clearly understanding what he had done, he was home.

Like Filipe, who now lives in San Clemente and celebrated with his wife, children and those closest to him. Champion at last, he joined his own, free from a burden.

Now comes the rest of the career.