Another Sunday without Football, but with Garrincha in Memory

Ah, another one of those Sundays when soccer doesn’t happen, right? And you know what? That’s absolutely right! In the end, soccer is the most important thing among the less important ones. And today, instead of goals, we’re going to talk about votes! You can probably imagine it: in my election for president, governors, senators, and, of course, the stars of our beloved October, my candidate is none other than Garrincha.

Look, Pelé won every election there was up to the end of the world, so let’s set him aside, okay?

My Only Memory of Garrincha

After 54 years here in São Paulo and after voting in every polling place I could—radio, TV, internet, newspaper, you name it—I only had the privilege of seeing our idol Garrincha up close once in my life. It was a day I’ll never forget: 1th of August of 1982, at the studios of Rádio Jovem Pan.

Jovem Pan loved to bring a special guest on Sundays to give that UP to the program “Terceiro Tempo”. On that day, the famous referees Arnaldo Cezar Coelho and José Roberto Wright were on the grounds. After all, the radio was still dealing with the departure of Estevan Sangirardi, who had taken his famous “Show de Rádio” to Rádio Bandeirantes. And look, that change was anything but good for him.

At Bandeirantes, Sangirardi could no longer do that “show” the way he used to, and things fell apart for him and for his team. The truth is that post-game journalism was gaining strength, and guess what? The “comedic sports radio” got pushed a bit aside.

A Memorable Meeting

But let’s get back to the day I saw Garrincha. The guy was a legend! I saw him, hugged him, and laughed—and I’ll tell you, I was close to crying from so much emotion. And the interview? Oh, that one was great! It’s right there below for you to listen—don’t miss it!

Garrincha left with a check that today would be worth about 1.000 reais, but the check that director José Carlos Pereira da Silva gave him was for R$ 897,27. And as you can imagine, the government fees (income tax, ISS, INSS, PIS, and whatever else came up) did what they did.

Mané was furious—he wanted to receive his thousand reais! José Carlos had to top it off with a receipt for 100, and he even asked for Mané’s RG and CPF, which left Garrincha even more confused: “What are you asking for? Look here at what I have” and, puff, he threw everything on the table. It was that famous “guy-from-the-bar pocket”: a few coins, crumpled bills, and an identity card so old that even the edge was already peeling.

Moving Moments

That meeting was emotional! Thousands of photos from that moment, TV icons, short and iconic lines… everyone already saw and heard it. But the real catch is that now you can listen to Garrincha for almost 30 minutes in the player right below.

So, click, listen, and who knows—maybe light a candle, look up at the sky, and out loud and clear, shout: obrigaaaaadooooo, Manéeeeeeeee... Remember to vote for him in your thoughts all the time!

CLICK HERE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT MANÉ GARRINCHA’S STORY IN THE SECTION “QUE FIM LEVOU?”

That’s it! May this Sunday without soccer always be a Sunday full of memories and emotions!