Alexander Barboza is on his way out of Botafogo for Palmeiras, and some are already trying to frame the move as if the defender were pushed out of Nilton Santos against his will. He was not. Unlike the Savarino situation, when the club opened the door to a deal, Barboza chose not to renew and took another route.
That is a legitimate professional decision. Football is not built on eternal vows. What sounds strange is the farewell wrapped in the language of “guarantees”, as Barboza said in an interview with ge/globoesporte.com. He wanted guarantees that Botafogo would keep competing for trophies. At that point, he was only one step away from asking for the next cup to come with a certified signature.
Guarantees are supposed to be built on the pitch
Barboza is a footballer, not an external auditor of the sporting project. If Botafogo are supposed to fight for titles, then a starting centre-back, dressing-room leader and recent champion should not merely ask for guarantees. He should be one of them.
The supporters already did their part. They asked him to stay, sang his name and treated him like a leader. Part of the answer should have come from Barboza himself: winning duels, clearing crosses and standing up in big matches.
But apparently the ideal package was something else: a well-run club, strong wages, a stable project, preferred executives in place and a stamped guarantee of a winning future. In actual football, that document does not exist.
In the end, Barboza is leaving because he chose to leave. He may well be making the right career move, but there is no need to package that decision as a grand statement. Anyone looking for absolute certainty may be in the wrong profession. Football is not a notary’s office, and trophies do not come in writing.