Casares follows Marcos Leonardo, fans go wild online | OneFootball

Former Santos player during the last Club World Cup (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

RAFAEL EMILIANO@rafaelemilianoo

God forgives. The internet does not. And the early hours of Wednesday (27th) turned into a real frenzy for São Paulo fans after discovering that president Julio Casares started following forward Marcos Leonardo on a social network. Marcos Leonardo was revealed by Santos and is currently at Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia.

Valued at 18 million euros (approximately R$ 113.6 million) and with a contract until June 2029 with the wealthy Arabs, the 22-year-old player is far, very far from the type of signing outlined by the Morumbi club, which is financially struggling and cutting costs due to the cap imposed by the investment fund.

Even so, of course, the team of faith has a fan base that prefers to dream and pray loudly. Fair enough, after all, we are talking about São Paulo. And the excitement has taken over the internet in the last few hours.

Groups are organizing to invade the profiles of Marcos Leonardo's family and friends, showing how happy he would be at Morumbi. And he could finally fulfill his dream of playing for the Tricolor.

Yes, according to the amateur detectives, Marcos Leonardo is a São Paulo fan. This lacks sources, as the photos used to illustrate this claim are actually from when the forward was merely a student at the club's school in the countryside and went to watch a game at the Tricolor's home accompanied by his father and teachers (wearing, of course, the uniform).

Either way, Marcos Leonardo's attention is something São Paulo fans will likely have, as the topic has become one of the most discussed in these early hours of the day.

Without him and two other options (Calleri and Ryan Francisco, who are also at Reffis), Hernán Crespio has to field the attack with the natural center forward, his compatriot Dinneno, a name that came from Cruzeiro back when the coach was Luis Zubeldía, who even recommended him to the Tricolor (a fact that might contribute to his limited use under the new manager).

Besides Dinneno, players can be improvised, such as wingers Ferreirinha and Tapia, as well as Luciano, who can play roles like a false 9.

With a spending cap and budget limit, the Tricolor has difficulties going to the market in search of a name to strengthen its ranks. The option is for someone free in the market or who arrives on loan. Time is of the essence, as the transfer window closes on September 2.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.