Athletico 100 years: Jackson, the century-old star

In the time when giants walked the earth, the Athletico also had its supercrack: Jackson do Nascimento. The second highest scorer in the club’s history with 143 goals. In terms of goal average, among those who played more than 100 times, the first on the list.

He is the top scorer in Atletiba’s history alongside Marreco, with 15 goals, and the top scorer at the Joaquim Américo Stadium, the current Ligga Arena. According to club statistics, Jackson scored goals in 90 games. In 39 of them, he scored at least two goals. In 24 matches, he scored a hat-trick and four times he scored a poker: four goals in the same round.

His life has been intertwined with that of Athletico since the birth, as Jackson was born four months after the club’s founding and, therefore, will turn 100 years old in 2024. He is the last remnant of the legendary Furacão of 1949, the team whose attack is the key of the greatest athletic poem: Viana, Rui, Neno, Jackson and Cyrene.

As 1949 was also the first year in which numbers were used on the shirt, it was our first 10. The best in history. Interestingly, Jackson scored 10 goals in that campaign.

Luckily, I spent time in the stands at Pinheirão and Baixada with Atletico fans who saw Furacão play. They told me of a true maestro, an extra-class attacking midfielder with a short and humiliating dribble, a strong and indefensible shot, the organizer and finisher of the many rehearsed plays of the team coached by Little Motor.

Son of Paranaguá, raised in Antonina, Jackson came to study in Curitiba at the Liceu Rio-Branco Boarding School. When the school director, who was Athletico’s advisor, saw the boy’s potential, he didn’t hesitate in sending him to Rubro-Negro’s amateur teams. As Jackson’s father was president of Clube Atlético Antoninense, he debuted for the capelista team and played there until 1942, when he returned to Athletico.

At the time, CAP had many players who were students from Curitiba’s elite and the young law student had exactly the profile of an athletic player who divided his time between studies and football. His first professional contract with Athletico was in 1944. The following year, the first title for Athletico, in a best of three historical Atletibas. At this time, Jackson played as a right midfielder, partnering with veteran playmaker Lupércio in midfield.

As time went by, he began occupying the offensive left midfield lane, largely due to his total affinity with Cireno, his greatest partner on and off the pitch. The two were the top scorers for the great Furacão, the team that changed the history of the club and football in Paraná.

Jackson was so loved that, because of him, many Curitiba residents born in the late 1950s and early 1940s are named after him.

In 1950, Corinthians came to get him in a transfer whose amounts paid to Athletico and to the player himself such as gloves and salaries were unprecedented in Paraná football at the time. Many people went to the airport to see the Douglas DC-3 take away the great local football star. Jackson was very successful in São Paulo, but when it came to renewing his contract at the end of 1952, he spoke louder about the promising legal career that awaited him in Curitiba and the athletic heart.

He returned to “Furacão” in 1953 to be top scorer in the Paraná championship with 21 goals scored. He ended his career in 1957, after more than 300 games with the shirt he wore with much love. Off the field, Jackson was part of the athletic coaching staff in 1958 that won the state title that season. He also worked as Director of Football and Heritage, always linked to club matters.

In the book “Atletiba – A Paixão das Muldões”, Carneiro Neto tells the story of the first Atletiba of the executioner Jackson after his return. The rival was winning 1-0 and the fans started teasing the red-and-black star: “Where’s Jackson?”

Then number 10 receives the ball, bends the idol Fedato’s thigh and scores another great goal. During the celebration, he went to the wooden stands where the fans were teasing him and, tapping his right hand on his left foot, he smiled and said: “Jackson is here”.

Knowing that Jackson do Nascimento, a sacred monster in athletic history, is still “here” in the centenary year is the greatest gift our fans could have.