Santo derby: ‘You’ve got an atomic bomb to unleash, it’s Marcos’ | OneFootball

The 1999 Copa Libertadores placed Palmeiras and Corinthians in the same group, as the rules required at the time, alongside Paraguay’s Olimpia and Cerro Porteño. Verdão’s debut came in a Derby in which Marcos, the star of that title-winning campaign months later, watched from the bench.

History repeated

After the first three rounds – wins in the derby and against Cerro, and a loss to Olimpia – Velloso got injured during a training session at the Football Academy. It was a muscle injury with a long recovery time. Just like in 1996, the injury opened the door once again for Marcos, but this time he never left Palmeiras’ goal.

‘Atomic bomb’

Goalkeeping coach Carlos Pracidelli recalls the conversation with Felipão before choosing Marcos, right before a Palmeiras vs. Corinthians match, still in the Libertadores group stage.

– Felipão, Velloso is injured. I know he won’t be able to come back, and what I can tell you is that you have an atomic bomb in your hands ready to explode. That atomic bomb is Marcos. He looked at me, Marcos for the Libertadores? I said yes, he just needs to play, that’s my opinion. We also have Sérgio, a fantastic, highly experienced goalkeeper, but in my opinion, at that moment, Marcos was the one who deserved that opportunity, even in the Libertadores and even with it being the most important title for Palmeiras – Pracidelli recalled to NOSSO PALESTRA.

The boss’s trust

Pracidelli’s opinion was taken into account by Felipão, and the choice came for a match against their biggest rival.

We had Sérgio, we had another young player (Marcelo Moreira), and we had been giving opportunities to all the goalkeepers. But Marcão was the one who stood out the most and deserved the chance. It had already started in 1998 (in the Copa Mercosul), with him preparing for that 1999 Libertadores – Felipão told NP.

What do you mean, Marcos?

After Velloso’s injury, Parmalat, Palmeiras’ sponsor at the time, asked Felipão and Pracidelli which replacement they wanted to take over as first-choice goalkeeper for the rest of the tournament, but the answer surprised the executives.

– They asked us which goalkeeper he wanted for the rest of the competition. Felipão replied that he wouldn’t need anyone. At the time, the Palmeiras directors and the Parmalat directors were even surprised, like, what do you mean? Our starting goalkeeper is injured – says Pracidelli.

Marcos played in the next three group-stage matches, Palmeiras advanced, eliminated Vasco in the round of 16, and met their rival again, this time in the knockout stage.

Canonized in the Derby

The night of May 5, 1999, the date of the first leg of the quarterfinals, is the match in which Marcos became part of Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras history. With a flawless performance, he was the main reason for the 2–0 victory.

– The match where he becomes a Saint, interestingly, is the one Palmeiras wins, right? A lot of people think the match where he became a Saint was the 2–0 for Corinthians, which was an extremely tense game – comments Paulo Vinícius Coelho, PVC. In the second leg, the Saint performed a miracle by saving Vampeta’s penalty, Dinei shot wide, and Palmeiras qualified to face River Plate.

Saint 5

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.