Athletico 100 years: Sicupira, the greatest of all

For those who have already written a 400-page book telling their story, all that remains is to paraphrase the poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade: “The difficult thing, the extraordinary thing, is not scoring 158 goals, as Sicupira. It’s difficult to score a goal like Sicupira.”

Barcímio Sicupira Júnior He was unique and incomparable, both as a player and as a cultural personality in Paraná. In Athletico’s centenary history, the king of great goals in the final minutes, he is the greatest scorer in history and, probably, will be forever.

The greatest idol of the most popular club in the state, Sicupira managed to be revered by different generations as he dedicated his best years to keeping the flame of athleticism alive with his talent, charisma and race in some of the most difficult moments in the club’s life by representing the fans within field.

If in the first half of the 20th century, Caju was the red and black emblem, in the following, from 1968 onwards, the face of Athletico was Sicupira. The mustachioed star wore the mantle for eight years and during this period he was the author of the club’s hardest victory, the 1970 Paraná victory, against all odds. In the following and previous years, he was always the top scorer and a technical and moral reference for the team and squad, even in lean years.

Before CAP, he had an extraordinary career, emerging as a wonder boy at Ferroviário and (glory of glories) being introduced to Brazilian football with a chronicle by Nelson Rodrigues. A personality from Paraná culture. After playing with some of the biggest giants of Brazilian football such as Garrincha, Gérson, Didi and Nilton Santos, Sicupira made a switch to Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto.

In a strange red and black tradition, he returned to Curitiba without fanfare, with the pass donated to the club. From then on, he only left for the quick and intense four months in which he was Rivelino’s great partner at Corinthians, on and off the field. As his friend, judge Antonio Loyola, often says, Sicupira was a “blue-blooded player, a category above the star”.

Always loved by colleagues and friends, after the ball Sicupira spent another five decades in the spotlight on radio and television and on social media, where he knew how to communicate like few idols of his generation.

In 2020, I had the honor of researching and writing alongside my idol and friend, the biography book Sicupira – Vida e Gols de Um Craque Chamado Barcímio (Ed. Banquinho), launched at the height of the pandemic in a very successful event at Pedreira Paulo Leminski, which in a way brought together the two most famous mustaches in the city. It was just one more brick in the construction of the unforgettable and unparalleled legend of the star in the number 8 shirt.