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“End of the game at Maracanã. Wow, what a disaster. Defeat by 4 to 1. Two players sent off. Two of the team’s most fundamental stars. Reversing this disadvantage won’t be easy. Three goals. And not conceding any. How? The fans will need massive support. The players will have to play like they never did in this 1995 Brazilian Championship. Our number 10 could have a Pelé day, right? Can you imagine, scoring two goals and giving three assists? Wow, that’s a story to tell to everyone, friends, bosses, sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, dogs… The day arrives. Pacaembu is packed. All black and white. Wonderful. The fans believe and push the team. The white team starts with everything. Goal! Four minutes go by and another goal! The first half ends and the team stays on the field, to stay in the heat of the game. Incredible. Exciting. The second half begins and another goal! The disadvantage is now on the other side! Oops, the guys scored a goal… Some time passes and another goal! A few minutes later and another one! What a spectacle! Oops, another goal from the guys… But it’s not enough! The referee blows the whistle! What a victory! 5-2. Unbelievable! We’re in the final. My dream has come true. Number 10 had a Pelé day!” The story above, as incredible as it may seem, really happened, more precisely on December 10, 1995, in the match that would decide the finalist team of the Brazilian Football Championship that year. Santos had lost the first game to Fluminense by 4-1 and needed to make up the three-goal difference if they wanted to reach the final against Botafogo. And the impossible happened. With an irresistible winning spirit, fueled by their fans and with a number 10 doing things that hadn’t been seen since a certain Pelé, Santos thrashed Tricolor by 5-2 in one of the most sensational matches in the history of the Brazilian Championship. What the black and white team played that day was unthinkable and unforgettable, something out of a movie. And what Giovanni did with the ball was also remembered forever. Two goals. Three assists. A stellar performance that earned him the nickname “Messiah” due to his genius and premonition of what was going to happen that day.