Cássio is close to joining a select group with 10 years of Corinthians

Cássio, 34, has accomplished enough to be named the greatest goalkeeper in Corinthians history. If there are subjective characteristics that can make some Corinthians fans prefer Ronaldo Giovanelli, Dida, Gylmar and others, in terms of numbers, the current holder of Alvinegro is practically unbeatable.

Player with the most titles in the club’s history, with nine cups, including two Brazilians, the Libertadores and the Mundial, the shirt 12 is close to completing 10 years at Parque São Jorge, since it was officially presented on February 2, 2012 , after almost a month training at CT alvinegro.

Cássio will join five other Corinthians players who, in the last 50 years, have spent a decade at the club. In addition to him, this happened to defensive midfielder Biro-Biro (1978-1988), goalkeeper Ronaldo (1988-1998), full-back Wladimir (1972-1985) and forward Vaguinho (1971-1981).

“Every kid should go through the experience I’ve had, living almost my entire career at the same club, from adolescence, in the youth categories. For me, it was wonderful to spend so much time at Corinthians. The club was my home and a large part of mine It was magical!”, says Wladimir, 906 games and one of the main names of the movement that became known as Corinthian Democracy.

Cassio signed a contract on December 9, 2011, but only performed the following month, when the cast began training for the season. Hired from PSV (HOL), there was no indication that he would be the Corinthians goalkeeper for a decade.

He wasn’t even a starter when he arrived. For three months, he stayed at the bank. The owner of the position was Julio Cesar, nowadays at Red Bull Bragantino. His debut took place at the Paulista game, on March 28, 2012, against XV de Piracicaba. Even so, he remained Tite’s second choice. Not for long.

Julio Cesar’s instability signaled that something could change. The last straw was the goalkeeper’s performance in the State’s quarter-finals against Ponte Preta, at Pacaembu. He failed, Corinthians lost 3-2 and was eliminated.

Ten days later, Cássio was chosen to face Emelec, in Ecuador, for the Libertadores round of 16. He closed the goal in the 0-0 tie. It was the beginning of the Corinthians race for the unprecedented continental title. The new goalkeeper was a key player. His defense against Diego Souza, in the quarterfinals, against Vasco, is one of the most important in the club’s history.

If the striker had converted the opportunity, Corinthians would very likely not have beaten Libertadores and everything would have been very different.

“When a player spends ten years at Corinthians, he is in the club’s history. It’s for a few. For the athlete, it’s wonderful. Keeping up year after year with a starter, doing good championships and withstanding the pressure is something very complicated. that?”, asks Biro-Biro, 590 games for the Parque São Jorge club.

The former steering wheel, by the way, should be the next reached by Cassio in the list of players with the most matches with the white mantle. According to Almanaque do Timão, by journalist and researcher Celso Unzelte, Biro-Biro played 590 games for Corinthians and scored 76 goals. The goalkeeper has 564 games for the team.

The current owner of shirt 12 is the sixth who has played the most often for Corinthians. The leader of this list is Wladimir, with 806 games, followed by Luizinho (607), Ronaldo Giovanelli (602) and Zé Maria (598). Biro-Biro is fifth in the ranking.

With a contract until the end of 2022, Cassio recently received a proposal to extend his contract until the end of 2024.

For Unzelte, the goalkeeper’s time at home “means immortalizing himself in the minds of over 30 million people, which is the size of the crowd calculated by Corinthians itself.”

The researcher also highlights the importance of the goalkeeper in the main achievements of the club. “In the case of Cássio, it’s not just for his time at the club. Nobody spends ten years with the club, but he has a very strong history, very decisive in winning the greatest titles in the club’s history. Among all those who spent 10 years at the club, he has this highlight”, he says.

Despite the recovery that the Corinthians team achieved in the second part of last season, when they finished fifth in the Brazilian Championship and won a direct spot in the Libertadores, Cássio failed in some important moments, which made him questioned by the fans.

Internally, however, he never lost the confidence of the cast, especially coach Sylvinho. Thus, he has everything to start another year with the club as a starter, expanding his legacy.

Cassio in numbers for Corinthians

Games: 564
Titles: Copa Libertadores da América (2012), Club World Cup (2012), Recopa Sudamericana (2013), Brazilian Championship (2015 and 2017) and São Paulo Championship (2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019)