Goal-getter Tiquinho, play for us
Two years ago, documentary filmmaker João Moreira Salles, in a live-streamed interview with Valor, presented a jesting thesis that even he considered "crazy": that Botafogo Futebol e Regatas’ performance reflects Brazil’s performance over the years.With a mischievous, devoted-Botafogo-fan smile, Mr. Salles listed some past facts to prove his eccentric thesis. In the 1950s and until 1963, the country experienced a period of glory in various sectors, with industrialization, economic growth, nouveau cinema, bossa nova, and the construction of Brasília. It was also a period of glory for Botafogo and when Brazil won two World Cups, with the national team mainly featuring players from Botafogo and Santos.From 1964, the military dictatorship and years of turmoil followed. Brazil got depressed, as did Botafogo. The Rio de Janeiro team only won another title in 1989, when Brazilians began voting again for a president. It also won the Brazilian championship in 1995, when the country overcame hyperinflation with the Real Plan.Two years ago, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Botafogo had been relegated to the second division of the Brazilian championship, and Brazil was going through a dark period.At that pandemic moment, according to Mr. Salles, Brazil would have fallen to the "B series" of countries, just like Botafogo to the "B series" of soccer clubs. The country was ungoverned, with over 570,000 people having already died from Covid. The country’s administration did not believe in vaccines and preferred to recommend the infamous Hydroxychloroquine while keeping a general in charge of the Ministry of Health. Abroad, he was considered decrepit in his environmental policy. Unemployment was rising, and the roars of the inflation dragon were already heard.Mr. Salles’ thesis is obviously a playful exercise about coincidences and has many holes, as Brazil has experienced many good and bad periods over the years without any relation to the performance of the Rio club. But Mr. Salles could evoke it again now. Botafogo, the great surprise of the Brazilian national soccer championship, has remained at the top of the rankings since the championship began, leaving favorites like Flamengo and Palmeiras behind for now. And, coincidentally or not, Brazil is beginning to experience a good moment in various sectors.Within a few months of the new administration, the country is no longer a global pariah in environmental matters, and, despite President Luiz Inácio Lula da...
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