Cássio backs Hugo at Corinthians: “I hope he breaks my records” | OneFootball

The penalty shootout between Corinthians and Cruzeiro, this Sunday at the Neo Química Arena, gained a special ingredient: the personal duel between Hugo Souza, the Timão goalkeeper, and Cássio, a historic idol of the São Paulo club and currently playing for Raposa.

In the end, Hugo came out on top, saving the last two penalties and becoming the great hero of Corinthians’ qualification for the Copa do Brasil final, with a 5-4 victory in the shootout.

In an interview after the match, Cássio made a point of praising his successor and showed his full admiration. The experienced goalkeeper revealed that he hopes Hugo will surpass his records wearing the black and white jersey.

“There was a time when I had contact with Hugo, he’s an extremely nice guy, ever since his time at Flamengo. I root for him a lot and I hope he breaks all my records at Corinthians,” he said.

Cássio also said he believes in Hugo Souza’s potential for the Brazilian National Team. According to him, the Corinthians goalkeeper has what it takes to establish himself as the starting keeper for the Seleção in upcoming World Cups. Hugo, in fact, has been a regular presence in Carlo Ancelotti’s recent call-ups.

“We have to root for the possibilities. He’s a hardworking guy, he’s gotten along very well with Marcelo Carpes, who is the Corinthians goalkeeping coach, and I only hear good things about him. I don’t know if this World Cup would already be enough for him to be the starter, but I hope he’s among the three goalkeepers, because he deserves it. Who knows, maybe in the next World Cup he can be the starting goalkeeper for the Brazilian National Team,” he said.

Cássio also emphasized the importance of the moment Hugo Souza is experiencing at Corinthians and highlighted his evolution on the field. “That’s football, it’s about rooting for the opportunities of others. He’s building a great story at Corinthians, being decisive. He was important in the Paulista, made great saves, and I hope that if he gets the chance to go to the National Team, he represents our country very well,” he concluded.

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