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Sports

Dede Scores Glorious, Nearly Half-Field Goal in His Testimonial Match

Dede might want to reconsider retirement.

Testimonial matches are a beautiful tradition—they're supposed to be light-hearted and filled with fun plays. These matches, dedicated to saying goodbye to a beloved retiring player, are the closest thing soccer has to an NBA All-Star game.

But make no mistake: there is no joke about Borussia Dortmund's 13-year veteran ("Dede") Leonardo de Deus Santos' goal in his own send-off match. The Brazilian national absolutely lights up the top shelf after seeing the keeper stray far off his line. You couldn't replicate that kind of goal after 1,000 tries on an empty practice field.

Dede is then celebrated by both teams, comprised of an all-star group of friends such as Julio Cesar, Marcio Amoroso, Ewerthon, and Stéphane Chapuisat. A testament of beauty, the beauty of testament.