UPFROnT
FourFourTwo June 2022 15Verona 1-2 Milan
April 23, 1978 Serie A
“The beginning of a beautiful football journey. I was
a teenager and curious to see what would happen if
I got into Milan’s first team, as I’d only been with the
youth team for a couple of years. My debut was three
games before the end of the season and it was a big
surprise to play, but Maurizio Turone was suspended
and I was called up by the coach, Nils Liedholm. We
won, then Turone left and I was promoted to replace
him the following season. When I took to the field for
that first match at Verona, I could never have dreamt
that I’d make more than 700 appearances across 20
years at one club.”
Steaua Bucharest 0-4 Milan
May 24, 1989 European Cup final
“When I started playing football as a kid, I wasn’t sure
if I’d make it, so to win a European Cup as captain of
Milan was a real dream come true. We were a terrific
side under Arrigo Sacchi, and in the semis we knocked
out Real Madrid 6-1 on aggregate [5-0 at San Siro]. We
never allowed ourselves to think we wouldn’t win that
final in Barcelona – we were so confident. In the end
it was comfortable for us, with Marco van Basten and
Ruud Gullit both scoring twice.”
Brazil 0-0 Italy (3-2 pens)
July 17, 1994 World Cup final
“I was in the squad when Italy won the World Cup in
1982, but didn’t make an appearance. In the second
game of the 1994 tournament I suffered a bad knee
injury against Norway, and two days after the match
I couldn’t straighten my leg. Injuries like that usually
take six to eight weeks to heal, so I didn’t expect to
play again at that World Cup. I chose to have surgery
- even then it often takes a while to fully recover, but
I was the captain of the team, and just 24 days after
getting injured I was ready to start the final against
Brazil. That was a tough World Cup – it was very hot in
parts of America, at times unbearable. Reaching the
final was a great achievement, regardless of the fact
that I missed a penalty and we lost.”
Milan XI 5-1 World XI
October 28, 1997 Testimonial
“This was one of the most emotional matches of my
career – the day when I had to say goodbye to the
game I loved. But it was a fantastic occasion – good
friends like Zico, Romario, George Weah and Roberto
Baggio all turned out to play, and two great coaches
were on the bench, Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.
Five minutes before the end, I was taken off and got
the chance to do a lap of honour – San Siro was full
and I could really feel the love of the fans. After that
game, the Rossoneri decided to retire my No.6 shirt,
which was very special.”
James Andrew
BT Sport is Serie A’s exclusive broadcaster, with several
live games per week. For more details visit btsport.com
When a club from north-eastern Brazil were
coming up with a new name in 2017, there
was only one English team they wanted to
pay tribute to: Crystal Palace.
The Eagles’ links with the land of samba are
not exactly renowned – the only Brazilians to
appear for them are Championship playmaker
Andre Moritz and midfielder Fumaca, a three-
game loanee back in 1999 – but it didn’t stop
a side from the state of Paraiba using them
as inspiration after the arrival of new owners.
Formerly known as Lucena Sport Clube, the
team finished bottom of a regional second tier
in 2016 – then came a takeover by Engenho
Sao Paulo, a local producer of distilled spirit
cachaca, and the name change. Lucena Sport
Clube became Sao Paulo Crystal, a nod to the
brand but also a tribute to Crystal Palace and
Brazilian giants Sao Paulo FC – even though
they’re based over 1,500 miles from Sao Paulo.
“Our name is homage to two big clubs from
world football – Sao Paulo, three-time world
champion and six-time Brazilian winner, and
Crystal Palace, winner of two Championship
titles, an FA Youth Cup and vice champion of
the FA Cup,” read a statement. Ah, the great
Palace Youth Cup side of Terry Fenwick, Vince
Hilaire and Steve Lovell – they talk about little
else on the Copacabana.
The club have since relocated to nearby Cruz
do Espirito Santo and risen to Serie D, making
their debut in Brazil’s national fourth tier this
year. Their red, white and black colour schemeemulates Sao Paulo FC, but they’ve adopted
Palace’s eagle badge and even have the bird
emblazoned across the stomach of the shirts.
One question though: er, why Palace?!
President Mucio Fernandes has the answer,
explaining to FFT that he once visited the UK
with other cachaca producers and ended up
at Selhurst Park to see a game. It was Palace’s
badge that stuck in his head.
“It reminded me of the caracara, a bird we
have here in Cruz do Espirito Santo,” he says.
“When we bought the club in 2017 and chose
to rebrand it, Palace sprang to mind – Chelsea,
Arsenal and Spurs had no chance. I watched
them in London in 2002 and still try to follow
them. Whenever I spot them on TV I stop to
see how they’re doing, but with so much going
on over here that’s not always easy.”
As a result, Fernandes has sadly never heard
of Wilfried Zaha, or even Conor Gallagher, but
he hopes to take Sao Paulo Crystal to Serie C,
then discuss a partnership with the Londoners.
One of the Eagles’ investors, US businessman
John Textor, recently acquired Brazilian outfit
Botafogo. “It would be interesting for them to
have a partner in Brazil’s north-east region,”
adds Fernandes. “We’ve seen so many brilliant
players come out of our local teams – Rivaldo,
Juninho Pernambucano, Roberto Firmino...”
Jordan Ayew’s place in the Palace XI could be
under threat, then – not that Fernandes knows
who he is either.
Marcus AlvesUP THE PALACE!
In Brazil’s Serie D, there’s a team named after Croydon’s finest