VOA文化艺术2024--Brazilian's Soccer Shirt Collection Gets Guinness World Record

Guinness World Records recently recognized a 41-year-old Brazilian man for having the world's largest collection of soccer shirts.

Cassio Brandão has collected 6,101 shirts since 2000. His collection includes rare Pelé jerseys² and a 1998 World Cup shirt signed by Brazilian star Ronaldo.

"They are more than just 6,101 pieces of fabric³; they are 6,101 stories that help us tell a bit of the history of soccer," Brandão told Reuters. Soccer is known as football in much of the world.

Brandão keeps the shirts at Alambrado Soccer & Culture, a collectors club he founded, in São Paulo. The club brings together 60 people who trade stories and jerseys. He wore white gloves as he showed the shirts to visitors.

Brandão's collection includes the shirt worn by Pelé when the Brazilian player met Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 1968. She was the guest of honor⁴ at a game played at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã stadium during an official visit to Brazil.

Pelé is the star at Alambrado. The club is filled with Pelé's signed shirts and pictures. The Brazilian soccer player died in December 2022.

"Some shirts can go up to 40,000 reais, but a Pelé shirt is priceless," Brandão said. Forty thousand reais are worth about $7,200.

Brandão also displayed a 1994 Brazil jacket worn by seven-time Formula⁵ One world champion Lewis Hamilton at last year's São Paulo Grand Prix. The British driver, an honorary Brazilian citizen, borrowed the jacket to wear at the event.

A large part of Brandão's collection is dedicated⁶ to his local club Corinthians. It includes jerseys from Ronaldo's time with the club and shirts worn by his favorite player Socrates.

"Each shirt contains a story," Brandão said. "Stories of wins, losses, and overcoming. Stories that document a bit of the world's greatest sport."

Words in This Story

jersey¹ -n. a shirt worn for sports that has the markings of a sports team or club

fabric -n. cloth of some kind

club -n. an organized group that plans activities often centered on sports or a hobby

display -v. to show for others to see

dedicated -adj. done in honor of a person

1 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

2 jerseys   

n.运动衫( jersey的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The maximum quantity of cotton jerseys this year is about DM25,000. 平方米的羊毛地毯超过了以往的订货。 来自口语例句
• The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. 大意：NBA官方正在酝酿一个大煞风景的计划——把广告标志绣上球服！ 来自互联网

3 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

4 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

5 formula   

n.公式；配方，外方；规则，一定的做法

参考例句：

• His father is acting on his formula.他的父亲总是按他的原则办事。
• Here are some applications of Taylor's formula.下面举例说明泰乐定理的应用。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。