Athletico 100 years: Cocito, the racy midfielder

When I found out that Cocytus I would go on the group bus to Uruguay to see the 2021 South American final, I wasn’t surprised. Willingness to fight and commitment to the red and black colors never failed him, on the contrary.

Thiago Marcelo Silveira Cocito He arrived in Curitiba at the age of 20, coming from Ribeirão Preto, in a package that also included Gustavo and Lucas (what a find!) to become an idol of the athletic nation largely because of these qualities, but not only because of them.

Cocito does not deserve the midfielder-brucutu fame that many tried to impose on him. He was agile and dynamic. He disarmed with precision. He had the ability to control difficult balls under pressure, a repertoire of dribbles and short and medium passes and a signature move: the letter throw.

With all this, he was champion of Paraná four times, in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and was part of the group that won the Seletiva in 1999. In winning the 2001 Brazilian Championship, he was, with many bodies of advantage over second place, the best steering wheel in the competition.

Interestingly, his career was marked by a play in the quarter-finals against São Paulo, in a dispute with young midfielder Kaká. From the stands, I saw a game play, a debatable foul, with no need for a yellow card, as the referee agreed.

But as Kaká left the field crying, the Manichaean script that the press loved so much was ready: “the good boy against the evil midfielder”. A nonsense that harmed Cocito’s career.

After the end of the 2001 cycle, the midfielder turned and, ironically enough, he was in Erechim wearing the opposing shirt in 2004, in the most tragic game of our 100 years. If you had been with us, what would have happened? The following year he returned to form the solid line of three defenders that almost won us the Libertadores.

Years later, he returned to work at the club, like many of his colleagues from the 2001 generation. When the national title turned 20, he organized a big party to honor teammates, management and staff. Retired, Cocito remains as athletic as the racy midfielder who thrilled us with his beautiful cars.