Opinion – Juca Kfouri: How a football phenomenon is born

Among my football memories is that of my father saying that he had not yet been lucky enough to see “that Pele they talk so much about”.

When he saw it once, and again and again, he convinced himself that he was facing a phenomenon and, what’s more, he soon decreed, to the family’s surprise, that Pelé was better than Friedenreich and Leonidas da Silva. Indeed, it was.

Even as a child, I didn’t realize the scope of the realization, and only over the years could I celebrate the privilege of having seen him score 1,283 goals in 1,363 games played.

As a teenager, I witnessed the emergence of Tostão from afar. I confess that I found it funny and exaggerated when I heard that he was the white Pele of Minas Gerais.

First, because the genuine Pelé was already from Minas Gerais and, second, because, after all, he was very pretentious. In fact, it wasn’t.

Tostão was brilliant and if it was a girl it should be called Pound Sterling.

From then on and a little more, it became the bones of the trade to identify the different ones, the ones you bet will make history. In this regard, mistakes are made and correct, as are economists, meteorologists and political analysts, in the same proportion.

Seeing Roberto Rivellino, in the team of aspiring Corinthians, in 1965, there was no doubt that there was an ace. As in the case of Ronaldo, in 1993, at the age of 16, in the main team of Cruzeiro.

Evaluation errors also recur.

One of the most recent happened with Alexandre Pato, who dynamited, for Internacional, Palmeiras in the old Antárctica Park. At 17, he debuted in the 4-1 rout, with a goal of his own, the first before the second minute, gave two assists and made spectacular plays. Then he gave what he gave. He got rich, but he didn’t enrich football.

I imagine that the rare reader and the rare reader are imagining that the next one to be mentioned here is the boy Endrick, 16, who debuted for Palmeiras against Coritiba, in the show alviverde paulista by 4 to 0.

In fact, in fact and in law, he, yes, he is also different, it seems that he will be an ace. Pato has the will of someone who runs after the ball like a plate of food.

But he’s not the next one (because he already was…).

Next up, and again, is Erling Haaland, 22, which doesn’t look like it will be a phenomenon. He is.

“Ah, but he stopped being a boy a long time ago”, says the devil’s advocate, with good reason.

He was no longer a boy, but he has been out of the league since then, only with less visibility for having started in Norway, going to play in Austria, at Red Bull Salzburg, and from there having transferred to Borussia Dortmund, from Germany, teams from the second European level.

The 1.94 m striker did not fail to win the Golden Boy award, given to those under 21 years of age who play in European fields.

To name just a few recipients, Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi won the award in 2004 and 2005.

Former Grêmio players Anderson and Pato too, in 2008 and 2009…

Haaland is now in the showcase of the best team in the world, Pep Guardiola and Kevin de Bruyne’s Manchester City.

The Norwegian, in 13 games for the English team, has scored 21 goals and is about to force us to treat the Citizens like Haaland’s Manchester City — Guardiola and De Bruyne, forgive us.

Happy of those who were right with King Pele, Tostão, Rivellino, Ronaldo Fenômeno, Rooney, Messi, and wrong with Pato, Anderson, etc.

And what will you do with Endrick?