Supporters of Brazilian side Corinthians have come out in force to vote Carlos Tévez as the best striker in the club's history by a landslide margin.

Corinthians are closing in on their 5,000th competitive game and as part of their coverage of this momentous occasion, Brazil sports paper Lance! ran a poll on their website, asking for supporters to vote for the best striker ever to play for the club.

The results were surprising, with Tévez taking a massive 41.24% of the vote, ahead of greats such as Viola and Casagrande. The club's all-time top goalscorer Cláudio only received a very small percentage of the vote.

Although the results are clearly swayed by the likely youth of those who voted in the online-only poll, it is nevertheless significant that an Argentine has come out on top considering the fierce rivalry between the two countries.

The supporters' love for Tévez comes from his excellent performances in the MSI-funded team that won the Brazilian championship in 2005. He won the Brazilian League's player of the year award, becoming the first foreign player since 1976 to do so.

Corinthians living-legend Sócrates predicted that Tévez would go on to be considered as one of the greats of the club and his prophecy now looks to have come true.

"He can surely become one of the historical ídols of the club," he said in 2005.


Strange that an Argentine is voted the best ever player at a Brazilian club!