Afonsinho - Les rebelles du foot - Botafogo - Brésil - Portrait - AT

What do we know about football? The Champions League? The amount of transfers? The whistling stands? The violence? The business? You're right, that's also football. But I'm going to tell you about something else. I'm going to tell you about real values. About men. Look me in the eyes. In Rio, Afonsinho remains an icon. The symbol of all those who no longer want to be slaves to the powerful. Ballotier was a brilliant player. One of the best in Brazil in the 1970s. Off the pitch, behind his revolutionary beard, he defied the owners of the biggest clubs and the military dictatorship. Alone, like a pioneer. He was a controversial player. An excellent player. A fantastic player. He was different. He questioned. In the past, he questioned. Totally different. He is the first example of a rebellion of this generation. He became the symbol. Bearded. Doctor. But he became a libertarian symbol. He is an extremely democratic person. Extremely democratic. Extremely intelligent. I learn a lot from him. Children learn a lot. We are happy to see you. How you grow up in football. How you learn to work together. You move around. You exchange passes. This is a maturing process. We have the pleasure of seeing more and more girls coming to play with us. This is a great joy. Even to play football, we have to play with our heads. That's what I tell them. Before the ball gets to your feet, you have to be looking. You have to have a vision. This field vision is the vision that we pass on to them. For life tomorrow. At school, at college, at work. To have a family. To build a family. This is the essence of our work. My love for football. My love for the ball. Is absolute. I can't see myself. Thinking about the times. Far away. Without always running after a ball. From the memories. From the oldest images in my memory. To the present day. I live around the ball. All the time. The question of freedom. It's something that's always present. Every moment. In my training. In my house. And also. The respect for everything that's around. You play football at home. In the backyard. With your friends. With your father. In the field. You grow up. And you play in the corner. With your friends. When you get back from school. The kids get together to play football. We used to train with Garrincha. When we were young. With Manga. An extraordinary goalkeeper. It's... It's wonderful. It's a dream. Garrincha is called the joy of the people. Because that's exactly what Garrincha was. It was the magnetism. The ability he had. To cause ecstasy. When the ball hit Garrincha's foot. Everything stopped. What about the first time in Maracanã? To get to the field. You have to climb a ladder. It comes in your sight. In a way. At the level of the field. You start from the grass. And then you see. It's very impactful. The military intervention. Which was the dictatorship. As in other sectors. It was present. Clearly. Not even in football. You can't isolate football from that. A military occupation of society. Football is part of it. As a student. Because I was a little late. When I was getting close. The horses came. And there was only time left. To run. It was the beginning. Of a period. Very hard. Then things got very difficult. After that. I did my fight. In my profession. Football. Through the conquest of the pass. Free. When I left Jaú. To come here. My father. We didn't accept. This idea. This bond. That is the pass. Until that time. We were slaves. The professional footballer. Was a slave. He had no freedom. To come and go. For example. You signed a contract. With the club. And the club was yours. For the rest of your life. The players made contracts. With the clubs. As if they were. Objects of the clubs. We were the only workers in this country. Who had no freedom to come and go. Do you understand? It was absurd. It was an. Aggression to human rights. And he rebelled against it. I came to play in Botafogo. I played the first and second year. In the professional team of Botafogo. Without having a formal bond. Because the legislation was different. If you belonged. To a federal club. As an amateur. You were already linked. Without being a professional. You were already linked. You couldn't leave that club. Without having a one-year internship. At least you had a one-year internship. But there comes a time. You can't continue. You have to define that thing. If you sign a contract. You have to be registered. It was called. A drawer contract. The player had a contract. That was not registered. I started to have problems. In a professional relationship. I couldn't. I started to have arthritis. I had a contract. I had an interested club. I couldn't leave. Until I ended up. In a pass fight. He didn't have a player. You wanted to play. You wanted to show up. The focus was different. The focus of Fonzinha. It was totally different. Rebeldo. He was looking for the rights. Not only his. He was looking for. For the players themselves. I went to court. Maybe for that. Because it was. A very closed moment. This event. It grew. It started to have. A great interest. Even the social column. The case of that player. Who wears a beard. Who has a hair. Who can't leave. Censored press. A necessity. To express yourself. Censorship. Discussing this. It wasn't of interest. He rebelled. And went to the labor court. And he got. In the labor court. Freedom to go to work. In another club. But then he was a victim. Of a hit between the clubs. I mean. Don't hire Alfonzinho. Because he's breaking our structure. He was a controversial player. Let's say. A differentiated feature. In relation to the other players. At the time. They came from the most humble layers of the population. Alfonzinho was a medical student. He had. A political conscience. Very different. From the other players. At that time. The professional football player. He has a commitment. As a citizen. He's not isolated. He can have. A better material life. At a certain time. But most of them. Can't forget their origins. And can't stop worrying. About their future. This is. A fundamental thing. And very serious. In the sport. As a profession. I'm still here. Perfecting the imperfect. Giving time, giving a way. Disdaining perfection. Because perfection is a goal. Defended by the goalkeeper. Who plays in the national team. And I'm not Pelé or anything. If I were. I'd be a bust. Alfonzinho. Resisted the customs. He used to have a beard. The military regime. Wanted to interfere in people's customs. So imagine. A bearded and hairy player. Like a guerrilla. The manager. The coach and I. When I came back from this trip. I came back with a beard. With hair growing. The colleagues training. And I in the corner. Discussing with the coach. Look at you. You look like. A guitar player. A singer. I'm still here. Perfecting the imperfect. Giving time, giving a way. Disdaining perfection. Because perfection is a goal. Defended by the goalkeeper. Who plays in the national team. And I'm not Pelé or anything. If I were. I'd be a bust. At that time. We were talking about beards. Che Guevara. Beards were revolutionary. From that day on. They stopped me from training. The next day. It was forbidden. I got the equipment to train. I stayed away. And Zagallo. Went to shave. He couldn't play with a beard. And he said he wasn't going to shave. Ridiculous. I think the coach. Won't chase any player. There can't be an incident. In a condition. In which the player. Rebelled. If the coach doesn't take action. The coach is fighting. Against himself. There was a case. Between Alfonso and me. There's no problem. My generation. And then. In 1974. In normal conditions. I would have. An opportunity in the national team. At that moment. I was afraid. I could be bitter. I thought. It wasn't worth it. I took the positions. I faced. The things I faced. For a football player. The national team is a symbol. Imagine for me. I'm passionate about football. And I dedicate my life to it. Barbudo. What bothered Alfonso. His hair. Or his ideas of progress. It's because he thought freely. That the military. Deprived him of two World Cups. Quite simply. It became much clearer. My choice. The more time passes. The more I am recognized. The more I have consideration. And it gives me more work. Because I have to explain. That I didn't go to the national team. I meet a boy on the street. Suddenly. Alfonso threw me a lot. I'm going to the national team. I have to explain. I didn't go to the national team. Every day. It became calmer. From 1970 to 1994. Brazil didn't win anything else. So. It was affirming. Confirming. Crystallizing. The success. Of my decision. He became a symbol. Barbudo. Doctor. How to survive. Without football. But he became a libertarian symbol. In Brazilian football. For many years. A libertarian symbol. Absolutely isolated. And look what he played. In Pelé's Santos. That didn't manifest. In relation to this. Only much later. Pelé already minister. Pelé made a self-criticism of this. It's our bohemian law. That made the players. Euphoric. Of this thing. Called peace. Life showed me that no. If I had made the agreement. Give up. It was fundamental. In my heart. In my emotion. In my life. Each time. I'm more calm. More certain. In 1974. I took this risk. I didn't go to Navarra. I took a position. I'll be isolated here. And everyone. I'll stay. Is it a teimosia? What is it? But each day. It became clearer. More clear. That I was right. In assuming. The positions. And place myself. To make my life. The way I do. Also. I. I think. Rebellion. That changes the world. Sometimes. We need to renew. Revolution. Sport. Soccer. It is. In all spaces. So. Professional football. That involves a volume of money. Stratospheric. That mobilizes. With all this. It is not the most important part of football. The most important part. It is the meeting of people. That football propitiates. The human connection. That he brings. On the island of Paquetá. Today. Dr. Afonsinho has found his paradise. In the bay of Rio. He takes care of 50 families. And takes care of the children every day. From his football school. His motivation. Give back to the people all the love he gave him. Many. That were successful. And are people. In the country. They can enter politics. And are these people. That can help. That our politics improve. Because unfortunately. If we continue to depend. On this bunch of thieves. Corrupt, naughty, dishonest. The country will always be in this shit. The players are depoliticized. Accommodated. And perfectly integrated. To the system. To their own rights. But in Brazil. Players like Afonsinho. Unfortunately, they lose their space. The best thing about this job. Is to be able to live. And trade with the population. Give something from me. Make some money. To live more peaceful. And to be able to help someone. If necessary. Family. Whatever. The football he has. The most powerful. And the best. Is the rapprochement between men. Afonsinho. You have never disputed the World Cup. But you are a great among the great. You have opened the way. Without fear. No title is worth it. Thank you.