Telê Santana genius or failure ? Brazil 1980 -1986

ZÉ SÉRGIO : ' we are skilful, creative
and we will win ' .... (1/2/1981)

.. what really happened to Zé Sérgio at the mundialito ? This question continues to be asked because nobody can find an explanation for the dip in form of a player considered by many to be the best in Brazil.
A player who shows on the pitch true Brazilian football - full of skill, speed, elegance and creativity. Zé Sérgio is a joy to watch, an inspirational talent. The best winger in the country.
So what went wrong ? Zé Sérgio showed little inspiration and no sparkle in Uruguay. He went missing in action and was replaced in games. What is the reason ?
Zé Sérgio was able to identify the problem and for him it was the absence of Zico and Reinaldo.. But before talking about the mundialito zé Sérgio describes what he felt during the first training session here in Bogota..
" the chest hurt a lot with altitude but I still intensified the training and now I feel no pain at all. Of course in this next match against colombia Brazil will not be at 100% just yet but I don't think we will disappoint '
" in la paz for the second world cup qualifying game we will suffer a lot because of the altitude - bolivia always has an advantage there, but we will overcome everything and all obstacles "
"The preparation is over and now it's all or nothing for brazil. We need to win these games, even at altitude this is possible for Brazil. The players are happy after the mundialito, we played well against Argentina and west Germany and lost to Uruguay despite being the better team."

Philosophy of play ...

" the team is not fully defined yet, the players that start the next game may not be selected for the following game. Telê has the freedom to change things, to seek and find new alternatives "
" it is not yet known who will be the team's centre forward - there is obviously Reinaldo who is very skilful and opportunistic, Socrates who is intelligent and likes to play deeper and Serginho with his physical presence - a battering ram ! , but the team's philosophy doesn't change whoever it is. The team will attack regardless. It is a united team that wants to play expressive football with a deep understanding between players."
" the training here in Bogota has made the understanding even more emphasised and adaption to altitude has also been achieved. The squad is great - there are now no cliques or little groups of players that only talk between themselves. Everyone is friends and problems are worked out together. I miss my wife and family very much but that problem is minimised by the joy of working with this group of players. This environment is very important, it is essential that we all get along ,respect eachother and help one another - telê has created a wonderful atmosphere within the selecão "

...Regarding the fact that zé Sérgio didn't play all that well during the mundialito - he is honest with his explanation...

" the marking was terrible, there were always two or three players on top of me not letting me touch the ball. This was very difficult for me. It was announced that Brazil would only play with one true winger, Isidoro or Tita on the right side have a different function, they have different duties to perform in defence and attack . So all the attention was turned to my football and this made it difficult for me to produce my best.
Now, with zico and Reinaldo coming back to the team - two highly skilled players who need to be marked rigidly - this will free up space for me and the rest of the team."

" our team is all about scoring goals, we are a forward thinking team, everything is aimed towards attacking. Brazil cannot be thinking about drawing games or setting a team up not to lose. Scoring goals is the secret and Brazilian football has the talent and strength to beat any opponent in the world. Team's should be worried about us. Telê Santana is imposing this philosophy on the selecão and it's an exciting time to be a part of this Brazilian squad "....

" I want to stay in this team and be a star for the selecão but nothing is certain.. everybody knows that Éder is a great player who wants to play in my position. But the fight for our position is sincere and fair. We are very good friends.. I know he shoots better than me or anyone in the selecão . His accuracy and power leaves goalkeepers with little chance of making the save. He crosses better than me and is naturally left footed whereas I am right sided. Éder is also extremely accurate with his passes but i am faster and dribble more . Telê will decide who wins our position and in the meantime we will both show our different qualities in training. For now though the position is mine " ...
" but besides individual battles, The most important thing is the work we are doing as a group. Their is trust within the national team again. The players trust telê and telê trusts the players. Everybody including every member of the coaching staff believes in what are trying to achieve. The fans also seem to believe in the Brazil team again."

...At 23 years old , zé Sérgio is considered as one of the main players in brazilian football and he says that his style has a lot to do with it - " I am an aggressive attacker. I like to dribble and run at defences. This irritates the opponent and pushes them back. I think this only helps my team "
" I have to work on my shooting - I admit this. It is an eternal fault of mine - but I guarantee that i will improve. I will be much more precise in future "

" Brazilian football is now at a level that Should be considered very good .. virtually every player in the squad is highly skilled. We have players of the highest technical quality"
" although playing at altitude is harder than most people realise - we will qualify for the world cup unbeaten I am sure, and then we can concentrate on trying to win the world cup in Spain. But before that there will be more international friendlies for us to refine the team "

( Gazette esportivo)

 

1981 would also see the great atletico mineiro team cheated out of the copa libertadores. As mentioned earlier in the thread - flamengo had won the final of the brasileiro in 1980 against atletico mineiro in controversial circumstances. Reinaldo was sent off undeservedly after scoring 2 goals for atletico and here again a year later in the copa libertadores semi final playoff he was sent off early for a tackle on zico which was maybe a booking at the very most by the standards of the era..
The actions of the referee Jose Roberto Wright were scandalous! He then goes on to send off Éder shortly afterwards for accidently bumping into him when trying to get the ball to take a free kick !
Telê Santana observing from the stands at the Serra dourada stadium was disgusted, he would say - " a great spectacle for Brazilian football has been ruined by a bad officiating "
In the confusion that followed Éder's sending off, atletico protested with referee Wright and here he sent off Chicão and Palinha too !
Atletico chairman Elias Kalil then ordered his team to leave the pitch.
Flamengo won the game by default and went on to win the trophy.
Rio based Flamengo as I said earlier in the thread were called ' the team of the cbf' - decisions seemed to go there way on many occasions. The referee Jose Roberto Wright apparently travelled with flamengo to this game !
Flamengo and Atletico were two evenly matched team's apart from the fact that flamengo always seemingly had a twelth man ( the referee) on their side whenever they faced eachother...

The pitch at the Serra dourada stadium was almost as bad as the refereeing!
More on the flamengo atletico games of 1981 later in the thread ...

 

Well, I know what you mean but I'm not sure if a world cup being held in Argentina was that negative for Brazil - brazil were being jeered by their own supporters as they had been in 1974.. but they never lost a game during the 1978 world cup - and there are rumours of foul play by Argentina in eliminating Brazil (The 6-0 scoreline against Peru that bettered Brazil's goal difference and knocked them out in the semi final stage ).. Claudio coutinho said the 1978 Brazil team were the ' moral champions ' of the world cup.. But even if brazil had won one of those tournaments in 74 and 78 the Brazilian public would still have been unhappy because at the time the 74 and 78 world cups were seen as a betrayal of Brazil's style. There was a negative aura about the Brazil team in 1978 no matter where the world cup was held..

I think the 1982 world cup in Spain was different from The other tournaments played in Europe. It was extremely hot. Especially in Seville ( I'm not sure if it is the hottest world cup ever played in Europe ?) but it definitely had a Latin feel. I don't think Brazil 82 can use European soil as an excuse for losing that world cup. Also -Everybody was supporting that team in Spain - the spanish, the scottish etc - they were virtually everyone's second team - hell - I've even spoke to Italians who were gutted when Brazil went out ! So Brazil had the climate and the support at the 1982 world cup...well respected Brazilian journalist juca kfouri says that the brazil 82 team more than the 1970 team were responsible for Brazil becoming so popular
With neutrals in the modern era and the most loved international team..

I 've always considered the Brazil team's of 1998 and 2002 quite 'lucky' even though they had outstanding players such as the three 'R's'.. I mean - let's be honest - Holland should have spanked them In 1998 - they were unconvincing in every game but for against morroco and chile..
The 2002 world cup was a strange tournament - and i thought brazil were lucky in that the big guns were all off form...

 

FALCÃO IN ITALY - 'the king of Rome'

At the age of 27 Falcão admits that he initially struggled to adapt to his new life in Rome:
" although they told me that my life in italy would be virtually identical to my life in brazil, there are many differences " said falcão. " I struggled with the language, the food and the first four months here in Rome were difficult for me, I will not pretend otherwise. But I've been in Rome for ten months now and everything is going really well "
" I am playing well for Roma now and the Italians really respect my football.. my club did not know a position better than third place. It was champion 40 years ago and the fact that we finished the season as runner up brought great euphoria to the city.
The fans have been in celebratory mood and realise that a big step has been taken towards winning a championship, possibly we could achieve that goal next season"
" here in italy they opt for man to man marking and it is difficult to score goals. Brazilians like myself and Juari, Eneas and Luis Silvio who has returned to Brazilian football are all marked tightly. I have scored 5 goals so far . Italian football is more negative than Brazilian football. There is less joy ! It is much less attack orientated. There are more tactical fouls. The best attacking players in italy do not compare to the best attackers in brazil but in regard to tactics and defensive schemes the italians are first class "

... Rome loves falcão. Such is the impact of his football the Roma fans now view their clubs history in two parts - Roma before Falcão and Roma with Falcão....

" there is a difference in the behaviour of the fans here in italy compared to the fans in brazil " says falcao " they may be disappointed with the display of a player, but they do not over do it and attack the man. They respect the player as a human being and I think that is very important "

"The Two matches that stand out for me so far have been against torino and juventus. Roma had not beaten torino in Turin for 22 years, but at last we managed a victory there.. The game against juventus was magnificent, Roma played really well and had a goal disallowed that should have counted. The whole country saw it as an injustice. That goal would have practically decided the championship in our favour but it wasn't to be."
" until a few months ago nobody even considered Roma as a great force, but now they respect us more and the prestige of the club has risen a lot "

" at first I had a big disappointment. I was expecting to find Italian football exactly like it was in Argentina 1978. But it's quite different. There are no wingers on the left or the right. Usually the club's here play with two central players. Bertoni - everyone knows him as a right winger but here he plays in the inside right"
" Luis Silvio who left italy had problems. He was a true winger, he plays open but Italian football doesn't accommodate a player of that style. Italian team's are compact and defensive minded. There are no side supporters. It is not as spontaneous or creative as Brazilian football . Clubs here are concerned with getting a point - the most important thing is not to lose - victory is a profit. Nobody goes all out for a win "
" I was signed as a player who could lead the club to the title. Expectations were great and I admit I was made a little nervous by the expectation. I was a foreigner in a world of Italians - I had a different mentality and I view football much differently to how they play it. But I am adapting to their style and they are adapting to mine "

... The impact made by falcão at Roma has been felt by everyone involved with Italian football. He is considered a very special player. The fans of other clubs respect and admire the brazilian. He has been able to impose his intelligence, technique and strength on the Italian league. Falcão is representing Brazil very well in Italian football. It is well known that italy has a deep admiration for Brazilian football and falcão is only adding to that admiration.

...On the 10th of August 1980 Rome was almost empty as the Italians were enjoying their holidays but 5,000 people were waiting for falcão's arrival at Rome's airport - this is where the realisation of responsibility really hit falcão ..

" I realized the importance they were giving me " said falcão " I had to do hundreds of interviews straight away !. For the first month here I could not walk down the street without being followed by photographers or journalists. Many were genuinely nice and inquisitive people but others were following my steps expecting behavioural problems which never arose. All this caused me a certain uneasiness .. But I came to italy fully aware that I would have to start all over again - new style, new friends, new life and a new challenge "
" in the 30 matches i've played i have never seen an attendance lower than 50,000 ..the money here is good, I have a win bonus of around two thousand dollars "
" ..and I am living in a fabulous city. It is one thing to know Rome through books and films but it is another to actually be here and be able to touch it.. When the pope was attacked I was shocked . Maybe if I was still in Porto alegre the shock would have been less, but I am close to it here. I do not understand anybody who would want to shoot a man who represents god on earth "
" but negativity aside, I am living in a great city with thousands of years of history. You can feel the history as you walk the streets. It is an intense, political and engaging city. I now do a weekly television show where I talk about football and other topics of debate "

.. Now friends with Ursula Andress and Monica Vitti, falcão has also had great success with Italian women and is one of the most coveted single males living in Rome..

"When I was younger " said falcão " I used to go to the cinema's of Brazil and watch movies starring Ursula and Monica - now I can call them up for a dinner date anytime I please. That is a very nice and attractive thing to be able to do "

... Roma have informed falcão that he will be able to join up with the selecão 45 days before the start of the 1982 world cup in Spain..

" it is the dream of every Brazilian player to represent the selecão, especially at a world cup. It is disappointing for me not being able to play for Brazil in the qualifiers or preparation games, but telê santana has assured me of a place in the squad. I know i should have been a part of the 1978 world cup and now i want help Brazil become world champion for a fourth time in 1982."
" in Brazil the rumours are that I will play in the same midfield as zico, Cerezo and Socrates. I do not know if this is true or if it's what telê wants, but if it does happen then the chance of success is great'
" I really need to play this world cup. My country is now admired again for the football it plays with Telê. I can't wait to join up with the squad"....

.. Falcão has overcome all problems faced by a foreigner in a strange land - he has found financial independence, made many new friends, conquered the heart of Roma fans and fallen in love with the beautiful country of italy..
Falcão is the brain of the Roma team. He protects the defence and launches the attacks. He will be hoping to have the same impact on the great brazil team Telê Santana is preparing for the world cup. Falcão hopes to return to Rome as a world champion after the tournament.

 

.. july the 5th 1982 - Brazil 2 Italy 3 - The tragedy of Sarria - one of the greatest world cup games of all time happened 35 years ago today.

 

SOCRATES AT CORINTHIANS ...

As Juca Kfouri once said ' there has never been a footballer like socrates before or since ' .. and he was correct..
As mentioned earlier in the thread -Socrates was an anti athlete, a drinker and a heavy smoker - he detested training sessions, at botafogo SP ( not to be confused with the famous botafogo fc ) he was allowed to miss training to complete his medical exams. As long as he was there for match days everything was fine. Socrates played by his own rules. He was a player given special privileges because there was no other way to manage him. He did as he pleased. It was his way or no way. In the early stages of his career ( before he joined corinthians) he viewed football as just another hobby. He always saw football as an art rather than a sport, a way to express himself.. winning or losing didnt really matter. He played for fun and football was something he was just naturally good at. He was never match fit.( The only time he dedicated himself to full fitness was before and during the 1982 world cup)...
Socrates could get away with this attitude because managers and trainers recognised he was different and a special case.. People admired his intellect and personality , but above all else they recognised his talent on a football pitch..
..it is worth mentioning that at this point in his life (1978) Socrates did not really understand politics. He wasn't interested in politics at all. He believed in everything the Brazilian military government told the public. He was blind to the propaganda of the dictatorship until a few years down the line. .but he couldn't and never would understand or accept why footballers were treated as robots by their clubs- forced to abstain from sex before games, kept in concentration for days before matches etc - all of this was alien to socrates' way of thinking. What concerned him most of all was fairness and personal freedom for everyone ...
Although he was loved for his eccentric personality and football ability, Team mates struggled to understand Socrates at botafogo sp - he was so honest and fair on a football pitch it beggared belief. There were many occasions when botafogo sp were awarded a free kick or penalty only for socrates to tell the referee that it wasn't a foul ! This irritated his team mates but they came to accept that this was just socrates' way.. socrates in many ways mirrored the attitude of telê santana - ' to win by cheating or by unfair means is not a victory ' ...

The only reason Socrates left the comfort and his easy life in ribeirão preto and botafogo sp was (even though he had such a laid back approach to football) he still had ambitions like any other footballer to play for the selecão at a world cup and also he could earn 10 times more money at a bigger club than he would make being a full time doctor.. socrates' father told socrates that now he had passed his medical exams it was time to focus on football fully. " there will be plenty of time for medicine after football, but no time for football after medicine "..
Despite being in brilliant form - socrates had been overlooked by Claudio coutinho for the 1978 world cup because he played for a 'small' club and coutinho didn't like what he had heard of Socrates 'fitness' regime. Coutinho also regarded Socrates as a non professional footballer because of his medical studies... even though Socrates was on the 40 man list for coutinho's provisional 1978 world cup squad , he was cut from the final 22 man squad that travelled to Argentina.. socrates' dream of playing in a world cup was over for now, so
the next step was for socrates to listen to offers from big clubs that had been watching him for the past few years ...
Corinthians were/ are one of the biggest clubs in Brazil but they had failed to live up to that reputation for a long time. Named after the Corinthian casuals, an english amateur club who had toured Brazil , Corinthians were formed in 1910 by factory workers. Corinthians would forever be identified with Sao paulo's working class populations and the immigrants and afro brazilians who came to the city from the impoverished northeast..
They won 15 paulista state titles between their formation and 1954 and then went more than two decades without getting close to winning any silverware. In 1977 they ended that drought by claiming the paulista state title again. This was a great relief to the fans who had grown restless and hostile towards the club over the lack of success. For the first time in 23 years - the mood among Corinthian fans was one of satisfaction and contentment after the state title success.. this mood was also beneficial for socrates when he agreed to join the club in 1978 - there was less pressure and demmand on the players than before..
Nevertheless - president Matheus would sell half of the 1977 title winning team to finance other areas of the club. This upset the fans but the upset was short lived as Matheus signed replacements - Amaral, the classy selecao defender, winger Piter and Uruguayan midfielder Taborda..
Socrates' arrival was the most curious and unexpected of all.. corinthians players knew of Socrates from league games and cup clashes but they didn't know what to expect of a player who was so obviously 'different'.
"He was a weird signing" said then club captain Zé Maria " Corinthians wanted Chicão. We knew who Socrates was but we were expecting someone more efficient. But when magrão ( socrates' nickname) arrived he showed us he was intelligent and skilful and had the answer to some of our problems on the pitch. Players usually take time to adapt but Socrates hit the ground running. We knew that players change when they join a big club and Socrates changed. We knew he was a doctor who didn't attend training or concentration, we knew he loved the nightlife but he was coming to us to be a full time footballer so we expected him to change"...
Socrates' career at Corinthians got off to a great start..on the 20th of August 1978 he made his debut against the team he loved as a youngster - Santos. Socrates playing in an unfamiliar left midfield role treated the 117,000 crowd at the morumbi stadium to his full repertoire of tricks, flicks and back heels. It was a fine debut that ended in a 1-1 draw... his second game against Ferroviaria would see him produce a man of the match display - scoring his first goal for the club and leading Corinthians to a 2 - 0 win..
The early days at Corinthians were going well but it wouldn't always be this way - socrates divided opinion among fans. When the team played badly, Socrates was blamed for his lack of effort and his lazy playing style. Corinthians fans loved 'fighters' playing for their club and Socrates didn't fit that criteria..
Socrates would go on to have major problems with his contract and wages at Corinthians. The fans saw him as a mercenary for a while, and later when he and Amaral decided to change the team's style of play to a short passing and possession style game , the fans vented their anger at Socrates when results didn't go their way... more on Corinthians and Socrates later in the thread...

Telê Santana would say of Socrates in 1980 - " if only he would get himself in shape and the right condition..if only he would quit the cigarettes and the late night drinking - socrates would be the best player in Brazil "...

 

Hello mate - it must be noted that Socrates wasn't always honest in life - he had countless affairs behind his wife's back... there are brief highlights of the game on YouTube along with many other Corinthian games from the late 70s/80s ..
I am quoting from books and articles I 've collected about Socrates and putting it into my own words so it is easier for everyone to understand..

 

This thread is very time consuming for me ! So I have to post sporadically when I get the time.. I have literally thousands of articles and facts about the Brazil 82 team and all the characters involved that i will eventually get round to posting.. trying to write this thread in the order of the events is extremely difficult because so many things happened in Brazilian football during telê santana's time as Brazil coach.. I want to be as accurate as possible..

I can find out the full list of names on Coutinho's 40 man list for the 1978 world cup - i know it included Socrates junior falcão éder zenon ...

 

.. many thanks for the compliments mate.. I would love to write and release a book on 1980s Brazilian football.. It is a period of football that has always fascinated me and It is a topic I have studied for a long, long time.. there are many things from behind the scenes that people will not know about ..
I am going to try and post more regularly on this thread.

 

SOCRATES AT CORINTHIANS (part 2)

I will be detailing the life of Socrates throughout the thread.. His story is perhaps the most important of all the players during the santana era... there is too much information to write in one post, so I will write segments here and there as the story of the Brazil 82 team progresses.....

(1978) - when injuries forced Corinthians manager jose texeira to change his team around - socrates, much to his disliking was sometimes used in a 'deep' midfield role which didn't suit his game. . When injury ruled out star striker Palinha for a few months, Socrates was forced to play as a centre forward, this also didn't suit him. The team was unbalanced and Socrates suffered more than most...
The injury to Palinha was a big blow to Socrates. He had linked up very well with the former cruzeiro player in his first handful of games - the media were purring about the potential of the two players in the Corinthians attack.. jose texeira said " socrates and Palinha look like they have been playing together for their entire lives'..
There were premature comparisons made to pele and coutinho during santos' golden age...
Fast ,cunning and a great finisher - Palinha had been a key member of the cruzeiro team that won the copa libertadores in 1976 and he was Corinthians biggest ever signing When he joined the following year. He was a fan's favourite and a star of Corinthians 1977 paulista winning side.. He liked to run in behind defences and Socrates liked to find him with his passes. Early performances suggested it was a match made in heaven..
Palinha was also socrates' most important partner off the pitch. He was 4 years older than Socrates ,with a years experience of life within the huge city of Sao Paulo. He took socrates under his wing. He helped Socrates find an apartment in the same building where he lived.. they travelled to and from training together. They were both married with two children and coincidently their wives were both named Regina. They became inseparable..
"From the start I tried to help socrates" said Palinha " I could see he was struggling to adapt to Sao Paulo. When you leave a small city like Belo horizonte or ribeirao preto to visit Sao Paulo it's one thing, but to live there is a different matter altogether. There are people who have lived in Sao Paulo for years and still don't know the city. It's difficult to adapt, it takes time. So I helped Socrates as much as I could.. i have many great memories of that time "
" when he was your friend , he was really your friend and we got on so well on and off the pitch. I have played with many good players but the way I connected with socrates was almost perfect. It was the best moment of my career. We went through a fantastic phase" ...
Footballers love playing with intelligent team mates and Socrates' team mates were no different. But when the final whistle went and the game ended things were a bit more complicated in the dressing room.
Socrates was so, so different from the other players in the squad and his arrival changed the dynamic..
It wasn't just that he looked different or that he sat in the corner reading books - managers and staff members didn't know what to make of him. Confused by his overly intelligent persona and presence they spoke to him in formal Portuguese before turning round to talk to the rest of the players in more down to earth slang. His new team mates found him reserved and distant and they were baffled by his total disregard for his appearance. He wore shorts and flip flops and was totally uninterested in fashion or clothes. He would turn up for training in ripped and torn shorts and worn out old shoes with the soles flapping as he walked. Team mates would play tricks on him by burning his old disgusting shorts or throwing his old shoes in the garbage - but Socrates didn't care - goalkeeper jairo said " he wasn't bothered, he just asked the kit man to find him some old shoes and shorts and off he went "
His team mates also thought he was ' ugly as sin' - a gangly giant with bad acne and messy hair. None of this bothered Socrates at all, he just laughed it off..
Socrates was not afraid to be himself and he would continue with the strategies to avoid training after a heavy nights drinking session that he had perfected at botafogo sp. He would invent niggles and injuries so he could spend the morning on the massage table or in the sauna..
" he didn't train when he was hungover" said midfielder Basilo " and that happened all the time. We knew that on Monday or Thursday he wouldn't want to train. When he turned up with his kit bag you could tell by his face if he was in good shape or if he was still wired from the night before. We got used to it as we got to know him better. And it paid off. That was his way and there was no changing him" ...

 

Thanks celito... very sad to hear that. He suffered a sudden heart attack out of the blue, no health problems or warning signs apparently.. god rest his soul.. RIP Waldir.

 

I will continue this thread when i get my head back in gear. I've Had a few problems in my life recently and football has been the last thing on my mind.
Thanks for the compliment - glad you enjoy the thread. I will be back with more stories and articles from the tele santana years....