FUTBOLversia

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[FUTBOLversia @FUTBOLversia]

Boca Juniors have six Copa Libertadores. Peñarol have five.

Independiente have seven — 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1984.

El Rey de Copas. That is CONMEBOL's name for them, not ours.

We will be writing about them.

[FUTBOLversia @FUTBOLversia]

CONMEBOL calls Independiente el Rey de Copas — the King of Cups.

Seven Copa Libertadores. No club has won more.

A thread about the club with more of them than anyone. 🧵

[FUTBOLversia @FUTBOLversia]

They took the world twice, too.

28 November 1973: Juventus beaten 1–0 in Italy, with a goal from Ricardo Bochini.

9 December 1984: Liverpool beaten 1–0 in Tokyo, with a goal from José Percudani.

[FUTBOLversia @FUTBOLversia]

16 July 1950. Maracanã. Uruguay 2, Brazil 1.

Officially 173,850 paying spectators, and by common account many thousands more got in. It was not a knockout final — it was the last match of a four-team final group, and Brazil needed only a draw.

Alcides Ghiggia scored the winner in the second half.

You know the rest of it. Medals already engraved with the Brazilian players' names. A newspaper front page declaring Brazil champions before kickoff. A victory speech in Jules Rimet's pocket.

We went looking for sources for those three. We did not find them. They are legend, and we will not print legend as fact.

What is documented is stronger anyway. Rimet wrote it down himself, in his memoir: there was "no longer a guard of honor, nor a national anthem, nor a speech in front of a microphone, nor a solemn awarding of the trophy."

And Ghiggia, looking back late in life: "Only three men have ever silenced the Maracanã — the Pope, Frank Sinatra and me."

That line is Ghiggia's.

Obdulio Varela's own moment is quieter, and it is sourced. He did not celebrate at the team hotel. He went out into Rio, and he consoled crying Brazilians.

[FUTBOLversia @FUTBOLversia]

Pergunto sério: Zico é o maior jogador da história a nunca ter erguido uma Copa? Porque eu não vejo outro nome que chegue perto dessa discussão 👇

[FUTBOLversia @FUTBOLversia]

Rejeitado. Franzino demais, disseram, pro teste do Flamengo em 67. O garoto tinha 14 anos e quase não entrou. Hoje ele é dono de um recorde no Maracanã que ninguém, nem de longe, chegou perto de tocar 🐔

[FUTBOLversia @FUTBOLversia]

Copa do Mundo. Nunca levantou uma — mesmo sendo peça central daquele time de 82 que muita gente ainda chama de melhor seleção a nunca ser campeã.