Cano, adoration and the threat of a stain | OneFootball

Zero One. For many, that is the great symbol of our number 14. After all, it would have been impossible to win our biggest recent title without him. And he was, in fact, one of the great protagonists of our last few years. What can be said about his performances against Flamengo, in the 2022 and 2023 finals? And in the Libertadores, then? It was he who opened the scoring against Inter here and, when everyone was already taking our path to elimination for granted, who scored the goal that gave us the breath we needed to head south full of hope? And there? They went 1–0 up, and he puts JK one-on-one with the keeper to equalize. And then, when it seemed we were headed for penalties, wasn’t Zero One the one who sealed our destiny toward Eternal Glory? And who opened the scoring in the final? Well then. I write this only to say that there is no need to explain how much the tricolor fans see our dear Gérman as an idol. That said, let’s get to the point of today’s column — and mind you, I haven’t even mentioned the goal that opened the scoring in 2025, against the all-powerful Inter Milan… But for our purpose, this is already enough.

Cano, today, in the passionate and tearful eyes of all tricolores — or almost all, from what I gather in barroom conversations and WhatsApp groups — is a former player still in action. Period. There is a kind of consensus, a singular feeling that still holds back the harsher criticism of the player. Nostalgia holds back the boos and does not allow negative feelings toward our idol to break loose. But the question is: for how long? What we see on the field is painful for any devoted fan. It is sad to watch, and rewatch, the undoing of a top-level athlete. Yes, because as much as our number 14 is physically fit — and here I mean injury-free — he shows, with every play he tries to take part in, that he simply is no longer able to be out there. He just can’t anymore, unfortunately. He tries, but he can no longer produce what is expected of him. Yesterday, against Cruzeiro, he proved that once again. It is a shame, it is hard, but it is reality.

Drawing a parallel with another idol who was here to end his career: Fred recognized that he was no longer able to play and said goodbye, even with the fans and his teammates asking him to extend his career a little longer. The result: two emotional matches at the Maracanã, his final goal, emotion, and eternal memories of a guy who helped restore the tricolor’s self-esteem. Renato Augusto — and a parenthesis is necessary here: I am not comparing his importance and history to those of the idols mentioned above, only drawing a comparative angle. Even considering his importance to the Recopa title — it was he who won the penalty — he understood that he could no longer perform at a high level, grabbed his cap, and stopped. The point, which is also one of the many things that differentiate the two, is that the midfielder did not enjoy, not even remotely, the prestige that our number 14 has with the fans. Could the pressure have been an important part of that decision? Maybe. But the fact is that he did not allow himself to be remembered for his final, melancholy moments on the pitch. He chose instead to be celebrated for everything he experienced at major clubs around the world.

But the most important detail — and not really such a small detail — is that this insistence on continuing his career, this persistence in stepping onto the field, is putting at risk his idol status, earned with a lot of sweat and immortalized in the trophies at the Flu Museum. The risk of Cano tarnishing his story here, of scratching his idol status, is real and, in many people’s view, not even that far from happening. That is because the fans value and celebrate the past, but they demand performance and effectiveness in the present. It is natural and part of every cycle. Sooner or later, the bill comes due, and the years of dedication at a high level exact their price. And his time has come. Unfortunately.

Perhaps our idol may still find space on other teams, in other markets, where football is not as competitive as the Brazilian league. And I am not even talking about technique and quality — because he has that — but about strength, explosiveness, the physical side itself. And those, essential components of football as it is played today, he simply no longer has.

Therefore, Gérman, understand your moment. Respect your body and, even more, your history here. You are already eternal. Everyone remembers you with enormous affection and love. Our idol, part of Fluminense Football Club. Allow us to remember you this way, with that healthy nostalgia and with memories forged in titles, in our minds and, above all, in every tricolor heart. Indelible marks on the soul, of the living and of those who are gone.

Think and think again: you are an idol and you no longer need to expose yourself.

With affection, Washington de Assis

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