The revelation of his financial difficulties comes in a documentary by TV recordo that will go on air Saturday. Muller is now living with Pavão is former partner at Sao Paulo. He went through the 80s and 90s with an old fashion left side position. And he was the engine behind his team counter attacks, assisting goals as well as scoring them.
But now he is left without a penny and warns the younger generation of dangers of fame. Muller is not the first player in this situation. What comes immediately to mind is the story of Moacir Barbosa Nascimento, nicknamed “the cat of Maracanã”. He was the Brazilian star of the late 40s and the goalkeeper of the national team during the first world cup ever organized in Brazil (1950).
Brazil lost in the final against Uruguay, the game was remembered as the Maracanazo (the Maracanã blow) and plunged the country into an eternal mourning. The fans pointed out Barbosa as responsible for the defeat. His life change in 90 minutes, from hero to damned.
The cat never got over that day, and who could blame him, for 50 years he had to suffer the laughter and sarcasm, he wasn’t allowed to comment on TV, kick out of most teams, he started drinking and became a bump.
In 1963 he was offered the old wooden post of the Maracanã stadium, he took them home and burned them right away. Barbosa died in 2000, and shortly before his death, he gave an interview: “The maximum punishment in Brazil is 30 years imprisonment, but I have been paying, for something I am not even responsible for, by now, for 50 years,” he said.
Tomorrow, TV recordo will broadcast its documentary about Muller and others stars that have lost everything once their fame was over. Maybe Barbosa will finally be remembered.
