Opinion – Sandro Macedo: Tom Brady should be recognized as the greatest now, in retirement

In football we were indoctrinated to revere the number 10 shirt since we were little. It was the shirt of the best of them all, Pele. Argentines will say that the best is Maradona, the younger ones can point Messi, it doesn’t matter, they are all number 10.

In times when the jersey was numbered from 1 to 11, 10 was “the man” of the team. Considered one of the best selections of all time, 1970’s Brazil had the luxury of scaling a bunch of 10’s in the starting lineup: Pele, Rivellino, Gerson and Jairzinho. And I still had Tostão, 8 from Cruzeiro and 10 in my heart.

This week, in another football, the greatest number 12 of all time stopped playing, Tom Brady, called by many infidels here as “Gisele’s husband”.

No other player, with any other number, has won as much in football as Brady, who owns seven Super Bowl rings, six with the New England Patriots and the last last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — changed the team, but the number remained the same.

Interestingly, it is possible that it is only now, in retirement, that Brady receives recognition as the best of all time.

As in our football, while Brady was acting, there was always someone to point out a flaw or with some argument to say that the other little friend was better.

In the era of the “superquarterbacks”, many said that Peyton Manning (two titles) was more talented and just didn’t win more due to injuries. Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers (one title each) were said to be more accurate. Patrick Mahomes (at the height of his career and already with a title) is said to be more versatile. They said he only won because he was on Patriots coach Bill “Muricy” Belichick’s team, the most badass man in football history. Well, I’ve already agreed to all of that—that’s it, confessed defendant.

And year after year, TB12 shut everyone up. As soon as he left mighty New England, he was champion the following year; meanwhile, Bill and his blue caps didn’t even get close to the final.

If Brady wasn’t the most talented (although he was very talented), no one had the commitment to the game he had, a fundamental tool in all titles.

For those who haven’t had a chance to get to know the number 12’s career and exploits, the suggestion is the series “Man in the Arena”, available on Star+ streaming, which tells the story of the player’s ten finals in ten episodes, including that of historic comeback, including the last-second kick, including the three she missed… including the one in which Gisele got in trouble when criticizing her teammates.

Interestingly, the tenth and final episode has yet to air. Probably Brady himself asked them to hold on, to include a “grand finale” with retirement and one last title — which didn’t come.

Who also loved to talk about the Super Bowl was the dear friend of Editorial Ygor Salles. I remember when he went to see the final in a movie theater with my ticket and the next day he told me the whole experience. Unfortunately Ygor left the entire newsroom in mourning last week, two weeks away from a new Super Bowl. An affectionate hug for the whole family, and a goodbye for the friend.