441- Mengão e Petkovic são notícias na Sérvia!!

Marjan Kovacevic é um GM de Solucionismo que esteve aqui no Rio no 52° Congresso da PCCC. Ele está escrevendo uma série de artigos para o jornal Politika, de Belgrado, sobre Petkovic e o Flamengo!
O mestre de Solucionismo e rubro-negro Marcos Roland tem ajudado Marjan neste trabalho. O 1º artigo da série (que reproduzo abaixo), intitulado "Petkoviću s ljubavlju – pismo iz Brazila" ("A Petkovic com afeto - carta do Brasil") em grande parte é transcrição de um e-mail (também reproduzido abaixo) do Roland para o Kovacevic.

O Mengão tem torcida no mundo todo!

Saudações Rubro-Negras!
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RAMBO U KUĆI SLAVE (1)

Petkoviću s ljubavlju – pismo iz Brazila

Kako se u Rio de Žaneiru doživljava današnji dan, istorijskog priznanja fudbaleru Flamenga Dejanu Petkoviću, “evropskom Ziku”

Uz veliku sliku slavlja posle čuvenog “gola 43” iz 2001. (desni zid muzeja na Marakani) ispred stadiona stajaće ovekovečeni otisci stopala Dejana Petkovića (Foto B. Gađanski)

Danas u podne po lokalnom vremenu, odnosno u 17 časova po našem, Dejan Petković Rambo (37) biće zvanično primljen u “Kuću slave” na Marakani u Rio de Žaneiru, kao jedini Evropljanin posle Euzebija i Bekenbauera. Na širokom prostoru, između kapija za ulazak u hram fudbala na levoj strani, i gigantskih slika brazilskih idola na zidu zdesna, nalaze se otisci stopala velikana kao što su Pele, Garinča, Ziko, Ronaldinjo, Kaka, a od juče i – naš Petković...

U vremenu iluzije da je svevideće oko Interneta dovoljno da budemo u toku, svi smo povremeno slušali priče o Petkovićevoj slavi u zemlji fudbala, ali većina je nastavila da veruje da su to naša preterivanja. Od trenutka ulaska u Brazil, ubedićete se u suprotno.

Tako je, prošlog meseca na svetskom kongresu šahovskih problemista u Riju, glavna tema razgovora sa domaćinima, umesto šaha, postao Petković, ili jednostavno Pet, kako ga u Brazilu zovu. U Riju, gde se neki suglasnici dodatno umekšavaju, to zvuči kao “peć”, ili čak “peći”, ali zvanični nadimak Pet je vrlo karakterističan, jer u prevodu na engleski znači ono što Petković zaista jeste – opšti miljenik.

Sve brazilske priče o idolu Flamenga i “evropskom Ziku” su krajnje emotivne, i sve nose sa sobom i boju nepravde. Nepravde, da je takav fudbaler odigrao samo sedam utakmica za Jugoslaviju, nijednu za Srbiju, a da u isto vreme nije mogao da zaigra ni za Brazil, iz formalnih razloga. Jedan od naših brazilskih domaćina, šahovski kompozitor Markos Roland (59), poreznik u Riju i veliki navijač Flamenga, pričao nam je i pisao sa toliko oduševljenja o Petkoviću, da njegove reči mogu da posluže kao najneposrednije svedočanstvo onoga što smo slušali na svakom koraku:

Pokušaću rečima da opišem utiske zaljubljenika u fudbal, o magičnim danima vašeg zemljaka Dejana Petkovića u “najvoljenijem” timu Brazila. Bojim se da moje znanje nije dovoljno, ali silno bih želeo da odam priznanje čoveku koji nam je doneo toliko radosti i zadovoljstva.

Neću da pričam o statistici, toga ima dovoljno na Internetu. Samo bih želeo malo da govorim o Petkoviću kao idolu masa. Mada je imao lepih trenutaka i u drugim klubovima, pravi idol je postao u Vitoriji, svom prvom klubu u Brazilu, gde je došao 1997, a zatim u Flamengu, u periodima 2000-2001 i u povratku, od ovog maja.

Pošto je već bio u 37. godini kada je potpisao novi ugovor sa Flamengom, gotovo niko nije verovao da još može da bude koristan bilo kom profesionalnom timu. Ali, Andrade je, preuzimajući tim nekoliko nedelja kasnije, računao na Peta. U to vreme, Flamengo je bio u velikoj krizi, a Andrade je svoje planove sažeo u dve rečenice: 1. “Porazgovaraću” s Adrijanom (bivši “Imperator” Intera iz Milana, koji se vratio u Flamengo nekoliko meseci ranije, ali je izgleda više bio zainteresovan za noćni život nego za fudbal) i 2. Naći ću mesto za Petkovića u “mojih 11”.

Andrade, čije je puno ime Horhe Luis Andrade da Silva, bio je klasičan fudbaler sredine terena, a došao je u Flamengo zajedno sa takvim sjajnim igračima kao što su bili Leandro, Žunior, Adiljo, Mozer, Raul i veliki Ziko. Bio je to jedan od najboljih brazilskih fudbalskih timova svih vremena, odakle su regrutovani mnogi reprezentativci osamdesetih.

Sada možemo da zaključimo da je Andrade predvideo da bi Petković mogao da bude “njegov” Ziko: vođa, organizator, čovek koji “čini da tim da igra”. Barem tako vide mnogi navijači Flamenga (uključujući i mene) Petkovićevu ulogu u vaskrsnuću Flamenga u poslednjih 14 kola državnog prvenstva, tokom kojih je iz donje polovine tabele, među 22 ekipe, skočio u vrh i stigao do drugog mesta, tri kola pre kraja. U 13 mečeva u kojima je Pet igrao Flamengo nije doživeo ni jedan poraz, a postigao je deset pobeda i tri nerešena rezultata. (Petković nije igrao samo jednom, protiv znatno slabijeg Baruerija, i tada je Flamengo doživeo jedini poraz u ovoj sjajnoj seriji).

Srpska zastava sa Petkovićevim likom u brazilskom hramu fudbala

U stvari, od svih koji su oblačili dres sa famoznim “brojem 10” posle Zika, Petković je, bez sumnje, najsličniji najvećem idolu u istoriji Flamenga. On igra na istom delu terena (uglavnom između centra i šesnaesterca); ima krajnje opasan i precizan šut (i desnom i levom), jednako u pokretu ili iz slobodnog udarca (po šutu iz kornera je nadmašio i Zika). U šesnaestercu uvek reaguje brzo i pametno; pokušava da dribla samo kada je nužno i tada se uvek kreće pravo prema golu ili gol-liniji. I poslednje, ali ne manje važno, on sjajno dodaje loptu saigračima, ovlaš je dodirujući, tako da lopta “nežno ljubi” travu. Statistika kaže da ima gotovo 90 odsto tačnih dodavanja, što je zapanjujuće, pogotovo što su mnoga od njih poslednja, ili pretposlednja pre šuta na gol, znači najteža.

Uprkos svemu ovom, Pet ne nosi broj 10 u svom povratku u Flamengo. Zašto? Zato što je Adrijano, “super-zvezda”, želeo “sveti” broj za sebe i niko nije mogao da mu kaže ne. Zbog toga, skromni Pet nosi dres sa brojem 43, u čast nezaboravnog trenutka njegove karijere, 43. minuta drugog poluvremena poslednje utakmice sezone 2001, protiv Vaska da Game. Tada je na Marakani postigao istorijski gol iz slobodnog udarca sa 25 metara, za pobedu od 3:1, baš onoliko koliko je bilo neophodno Flamengu za treći uzastopni trijumf u Brazilskoj ligi, sva tri puta ispred Vaska. I tada je Petković podsetio na Zika: nikada se ne predaje, bori se do poslednjeg minuta. Kao u himni Flamengovih navijača: “Tvoja slava je da se boriš!”.

Možda ste primetili, u jednom delikatnom trenutku, koliko masa veruje Petkoviću. Na nedavnoj utakmici sa Sao Paulom (10. oktobra), sjajni golman Rožerio Seni odbranio mu je penal, ali je sudija tražio da se šut ponovi zbog kretanja golmana pre udarca. U tom momentu, svi navijači su počeli da skandiraju “Pet, Pet”, tražeći da ponovo šutira! I sećate se kako je ovlaš podbo loptu u sredinu gola, dok se golman bacao u svoju levu stranu, kao i prvi put.

I, dok svi u Brazilu pitaju zašto selektor Antić ne zove Petkovića, navijači Flamenga ne žele da vide Peta u reprezentaciji Srbije. Oni traže da obuče žuti dres “sa pet zvezdica”, isti onaj koji su nosili Pele, Garinča, Didi, Žerson, Rivelinjo, Ziko i mnogi drugi.

Kada su mu to rekli, Pet se gromko nasmejao i odgovorio: “Bilo bi veoma lepo igrati sa fudbalerom kao što je Kaka, ali vi imate igrača koji su u boljoj formi nego ja”. A, kada su ga pitali da li planira da uzme brazilsko državljanstvo (ovde je već 12 godina), rekao je, na dobrom portugalskom, sa simpatičnim španskim akcentom: “To je mnogo komplikovano: previše birokratije”.

(Sutra: Miljenik “velike zvečke”)

Marjan Kovačević

[objavljeno: 20/11/2009]

Dear Marjan,

I’ll try to put into written words my impressions, as a football lover, about the magic day of your countryman, Drajen Petkovic, playing for the “most-loved” team of Brazil. I am afraid that my knowledge both of football and of the English language is not sufficient for helping you, but I would so much like to pay a small tribute to Pet, who has given such wonderful moments of joy and delight to all football lovers in Brazil, specially but not only to the supporters of Flamengo.

Petkovic or simply Pet, as he’s called here in Brazil, had two brilliant years playing for Flamengo in 2000/2001; before that, he had played also excellently for Vitória, of Salvador, where he arrived in 1997. After he left Flamengo, he played for three other important, traditional Brazilian teams, firstly Vasco da Gama (or simply Vasco), from Rio, after Fluminense, also from Rio, and Atlético Mineiro, from Belo Horizonte. He played also for Goiás, from Goiania, which is also a team of the First Division (“Série A”) of the Brazilian League.

I am not going to talk about statistics, about how many goals he scored so far, including the seven ones from corner, a record, at least here in Brazil. I suppose you have enough of this by the Internet. I just want to talk a little about Petkovic as an idol of the crowds.

Although Pet had some good moments in the other teams he joined, in fact he was a real idol when he played for Vitória, his first team in Brazil, and for Flamengo, in 2000-2001 as well as in his coming back, since last May. Being then in his 37, when he signed his new contract with Flamengo, nearly nobody believed he could still be useful to any professional team. But Andrade, who took charge as the Flamengo’s coach a few weeks later, relied on Pet.

Flamengo was in a bad position in the Brazilian Championship. It is reported that Andrade, asked about his plans, resumed them in two sentences: 1) I’ll “have a talk” with Adriano (the ex-“Imperator” of the Internazionale from Milano, who had also come back to Flamengo a few months before, but seemed be interested in night life rather than in football); 2) I’ll find a place for Petkovic as one of “my 11”.

Andrade, whose full name is Jorge Luís Andrade da Silva, was a classical midfield player, who joined Flamengo together with such wonderful players as Leandro, Júnior, Adílio, Mozer, Raul, and the great Zico (pronounced Ziko), one of the best Brazilian football club teams of all times, which gave so many players to the national team in the eighties. We can think that Andrade foresaw Petkovic could be “his” Zico, the leader, the organizer-player, the man that “makes the team play”. At least, that’s how many Flamengo’s supporters (including myself) see the role played by Pet in the ascension of Flamengo in the last nine rounds of the national championship, in which the team scored six wins and three draws, jumping from the second half to the first places in the field.

In fact, of all players that dressed the famous “number 10” shirt after Zico played his last game for Flamengo, Petkovic is undoubtedly the one who more closely resembles the greatest idol of the Flamengo’s history: he plays basically in the same part of the field (mostly between the half-way line and the penalty area); he has an extremely dangerous and precise shot, both with the ball in movement and kicking a foul (or a corner, in this matter even Zico couldn’t excel him); inside the penalty area he reacts always swiftly and cleverly; he tries the dribble only when it’s necessary and in this case he runs always straight towards the goal or the goal line; last but not the least, he passes excellently the ball to his companions, touching the ball “gently”, close to the grass (statistics says that almost 90% of his passes are correct and this is really very impressive, because many of them are the so-called “last pass” or “next to last pass” before the goal kick, which are the most difficult ones).

With all this, Pet isn’t wearing the number 10 shirt in his coming back to Flamengo. Why not? Because Adriano, the “superstar”, wanted the “sacred” number for him, and nobody could say no to him. So, the humble Pet dresses a shirt with a “43” in his back, and that recalls his unforgettable moment as a football player: the goal he scored in 2001, at 43 minutes of the second half against Vasco da Gama, kicking a foul 25 meters from the goal, putting the score on 3-1, what was necessary for Flamengo winning their third local championship in a row. And once more Petkovic comes close to Zico: because he never gives up, he fights until the last minute. As the hymn of Flamengo says, “your glory is to fight”.

You may have noticed in a single moment, Marjan, how much the crowd trust in Petkovic: in a recent game against São Paulo, he lost a penalty kick in his first attempt: the excellent goal-keeper Rogerio Ceni neutralized the shot. Nevertheless (luckily for us), the arbiter determined the kick should be repeated, because Rogerio would have moved before the shot. At this moment, the supporters cried “Petkovic”, asking him to kick once more. And you remember how “gently” he put the balloon into the center of the goal, while the goal-keeper made the same movement as before to the left.

Now, Petkovic is in a sort of “honey-moon” with the crowds and the press. If you take the most sold newspaper of Rio de Janeiro, “O Globo”, in the issue of October the 20^th, two days after Flamengo’s important victory over Palmeiras, when Pet scored the two goals, two well-known journalists write in their columns, side by side, about the same man: Drajen Petkovic. The article by Renato Mauricio Prado is entitled “Acorda, Radomir” (“Wake up, Radomir”), an allusion to Radomir Antic, the coach of the Serbian national team, asking him why he doesn’t invite Pet to join them. On the other hand, Fernando Calazans, in his article entitled “Os esquecidos” (“The forgetful men”), tries to explain the “Petkovic-mania”: “He came to do us a big favor: to remember us how to play football”. In the following page of the same issue there’s a big photo of Pet, with the following words above: “Pet surprises even Pet”.

But the supporters of Flamengo don’t want to see Pet in the Serbian national team: instead, they claim for him dressing the yellow “five stars” shirt, the same which was wore by Pelé, Garrincha, Didi, Gerson, Zizinho, Rivelino, Zico and so many others. Pet gave a big laugh when he heard that: “It would be very nice to play with Cacá”, he said; “but they have players better prepared than me”. When people ask him if he has plans to get the Brazilian nationality (he’s been living here by twelve years), he answers in good Portuguese, with funny Spanish-like accent: “It’s very complicated: too much bureaucracy”.