São Paulo goalkeeper Rogério Ceni is today celebrating 24 years with the Morumbi outfit.
The occasion will be marked today in a Brasileirão match against Sport, as the 2005 Libertadores champions look to make up ground at the top of the table.
The Paulista club currently sit third in the table, nine points behind league leaders Cruzeiro.
But the club can count on history for inspiration. Back in 2008 – when they won a third successive Campeonato Brasileiro title, a first in the history of the competition – they finished the first half of the league campaign in fourth place, eight points behind Grêmio in first.
They finished the 2008 Brasileirão top of the pile, three points ahead of the rest of the pack.
A further positive point for the Tricolor Paulista is the man in the dugout. Muricy Ramalho was their coach six years ago, and he is back with São Paulo once again, having won the league title with Fluminense and the Copa Libertadores crown with Santos in the meantime.
But with ground to make up, the team can afford to lose precious points in the league’s second act, and today’s clash with Sport is seen as a must-win.
Alexandre Pato, with an unspecified illness, is set to miss the game. However, the remaining trio of the team’s powerful attacking quartet, Kaká, Paulo Henrique Ganso and Alan Kardec, should all start.
