Lula has four fingers on his left hand. He lost his little finger at the age of 17 while working as a metalworker, when a lathe crushed it due to his employers’ negligence. This tragedy he experienced as a young worker became one of the factors that helped him take the lead in the second round against far-right Bolsonaro and win the election in 2026. When the two faced each other in a televised debate, Bolsonaro tried to mock Lula by calling him “nine fingers.” However, Lula explained that he had lost his finger because of his employers’ irresponsibility, and this incident spontaneously turned into an international campaign of outrage against Bolsonaro. Lula recounts the story that Bolsonaro, the spoiled child of a wealthy family associated with the mafia and paramilitary groups, tried to belittle: “I arrived at the hospital at three in the morning. I smelled of my work overalls, I smelled of grease. The doctor looked me in the face and said, ‘What does a little worker need ten fingers for? I’m going to cut it off.’ And he cut it off.”