In honor of Mané Maria – 02/28/2024 – Juca Kfouri

As a child, I felt sorry for those born on February 29th, as I thought they only received gifts every four years.

Then I learned that the celebration in non-leap years could be done the day before or on March 1st.

Who turns 76 today is Manoel Maria, former Santos right-winger, so good, but so good, a first-class dribbler, who received the nickname Mané Maria, a reference to Mané Garrincha.

He was even considered for the 1970 World Cup, when he was on the list of 40 pre-summoned players and there were those who defended his name to replace the injured Botafoguense winger Rogério, but it was decided to call a third goalkeeper, Emerson Leão.

A serious car accident ended his career in 1970, a huge frustration for someone who appeared as the ideal replacement for the great Dorval, the one who made up Planeta Bola’s most infernal attack, with Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe.

This thing about paying attention to dates and ephemerides is curious.

José Trajano is responsible for making sure that I, who don’t care about my birthday, try to find out what’s going on in days gone by.

Years ago, here, I celebrated the month of October, which brings together the largest number of births of football geniuses.

King Pelé, Mané Garrincha and Diego Maradona are Octoberians, pardon the neologism.

Enough, isn’t it?

Yes, it would be enough, but it wasn’t enough.

Because Didi, the Ethiopian Prince, is also from month 10.

Like the Dutchman Marco Van Basten, the Brazilians Careca and Paulo Roberto Falcão (who made me root for the three-time Brazilian champion Internacional), the Frenchman Raymond Kopa, the Englishman Boby Charlton, the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Argentinean Omar Sivori and the Liberian George Weah, Ballon d’Or in 1995, as well as Russian goalkeeper Lev Iashin, the Black Spider.

The goalkeeper also has the brilliant Brazilian Dida, as defenders they have the Uruguayan Darío Pereyra and the Palmeiras idol Waldemar Fiume, the English center forward Wayne Rooney, the Spanish left winger Gento and the great German captain Fritz Walter.

The enchantment with October made me research the other months and publish in successive columns the list of stars born in each one. I thought it was delicious.

Until the day when dear Clóvis Rossi sent a message: “Stop, Juca! For the love of God! Is there a lack of topics? Anyone looking for ephemerides is running out of things to say or in a crisis of creativity”, he appealed.

A cruel doubt struck me: now what to do? And the months not yet mentioned? Do I move on and not pay attention to the master? Do I explain to the rare reader the reason for the interruption?

Honestly, I don’t remember what I did nor did I have the patience, now, to search, convinced that, at least this time, the search for someone famous born on February 29th wasn’t due to a lack of subject.

And I promise to wait another four years.

IN TIME
In the last column, about who to root for, I failed to mention Santos, perhaps because it was included on December 9th, when, under the pretext of lamenting the club’s fall, I said that, in addition to owing the team some of the most beautiful moments experienced In football, I also owe two years of health without smoking, a promise made before the upset over Milan in 1963.

Anyone who stopped supporting Santos didn’t like football.

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