Corinthians are getting the band back together

The boys are back in town

Corinthians, obviously wistful for the turn of the century, keep buying old players.  Last year it was the ghost of the France 98 final , Originaldo. This year they brought in the guy whose free kick in the 1997 Confederations Cup made video game programmers rethink their physics models, Roberto Carlos. Now all Corinthians need to do is bring Rivaldo home from Uzbekistan and Denilson in from exile and the flash of the World Cup squads from 1998 and 2002 will be reunited.

According to the player himself, Roberto Carlos is selflessly returning to Brazil not to play out the string, but to help Corinthians win the one title that eludes them–the Copa Libertadores. The 36-year-old swears that his return will push the storied club to a new pinnacle.

Uh, really?

I will readily admit that I’m not the most devoted follower of South American football. I know it’s crazy, of course, but beyond that, things are a little fuzzy. What I do know are the following: the continent is footy-crazy; the club teams are quite good at what they do; the Copa Libertadores is South America’s rough equivalent of the UEFA Champions League; Roberto Carlos is 36-years-old.

Yes, I mentioned that last point already, but it bears repeating. 36-year-old wing backs will get skinned quite often in top competition. If you don’t believe me, go download the almost-unanimously-UF-approved Championship Manager app for iPhone and try it out yourself. Any left winger with pace above a donkey will likely benefit from Carlos’ presence on the pitch.

Unless, of course, Carlos is being brought in as the guy who spells the normal right back during lesser competitions. Brazilian clubs play in somewhere between 2 to 30 (I may be exaggerating a little) competitions in a normal calendar year. If Carlos plays in the little stuff, like the state championships (think Emirates Cup), then whoever else can play in the stuff that actually has meaning. Considering his contract is said to be largely based on image rights and marketing, that may be a fair assessment.

None of the age worries stopped Corinthians fans from going mad for Roberto Carlos’ return. There’s video here. Maybe these Paulistas are looking for a return to the glory days of the early Oughts as well? Who knows, but they certainly won’t see them if the club’s continued direction is bringing in dinosaurs to play a kid’s game.