Wilson Piazza

1961/63 Renascença (BRA)

1964/78 Cruzeiro (BRA) 566 matches, 40 goals

With the National Team :

51 selections

(Friendly matches: 25 selections)

(World Cup qualifiers: 6 selections)

(World Cup: 9 selections)

(Copa America: 4 selections)

(Copa Roca: 2 selections)

(Copa Rio Branco: 5 selections)

1st selection: June 25, 1967 against Uruguay (0-0)

Last selection: October 4, 1975 against Peru (2-0)

Wilson da Silva Piazza

Born February 25, 1943 in Ribeirão das Neves (BRE)

Brazilian, defensive midfielder, central defender, libero, 1m76

Nicknames: Jacaré, Capitão

Wilson da Silva Piazza was born on February 25, 1943 in the city of Ribeirão das Neves, in Minas Gerais. His love of football was born, as for many, during childhood. His father was a prison employee who loved to play football in matches in an amateur club. And he passed on his passion to his son.

At home, he listened to football matches on the radio, influenced by the great players of the time such as Lazarotti and Dequinha, he then really turned to football. At 15, he studied and worked in Belo Horizonte. It was with this company that he would have the opportunity to play football, the director of the Renascença club was impressed by his performance and invited him to join the team.

He joined the team in 1961, at 18 years old, the adaptation was difficult for him, having to work in the office and do football training. With little equipment, the club did not provide him with a fixed salary.

The club became professional in 1962 but the problems persisted. The player therefore decided to leave his job to go and work in a bank. Playing as a defensive midfielder, he was known for his technical ease despite a very aggressive and rough game.

In 1964, it was the end of his story with the Renascença club, he did not extend his contract and decided to sign for the Cruzeiro club. At 19, he joined his second club as a substitute, but the injury of midfielder Hilton Chaves gave him the opportunity to play and take up space in the club's locker room.

The player then changed his name, he was no longer called Wilson directly but Piazza, because of the presence in the team of another player with the same first name. In 1965, he participated in his first match as a starter against SE Palmeiras, a 2-1 victory, but the most important thing was elsewhere, Piazza had earned his place and would not give it up again.

He won the 1965 Minas Gerais championship and ended 3 years without titles in Mineiro for Cruzeiro. This title was the first of Cruzeiro's golden age. In 1966, there was no longer any debate about seeing him on the field and he was even named captain of the team by the club's new coach: Hilton Chaves, the player he had replaced.

With Cruzeiro, Piazza would begin to dominate Brazil and succeed Pelé's wonderful Santos team. A true pillar of the team, he won the Minas Gerais championship 10 times, and in 1966, he won the Brazilian championship against... Santos.

The player achieved individual recognition in 1972 when he won the Bola De Prata. During his 15 years with the Cruzeiro jersey, Piazza scored 40 goals in 566 games, very good statistics for a defensive midfielder who also played central defender or even libero.

It was towards the end of his career, in 1976, that Piazza would experience his greatest trophy at club level: the Copa Libertadores. At 33, the player who suffered many injuries nevertheless led Cruzeiro to the Copa Libertadores final thanks to his leadership and reading of the game.

This is how the celestial team reached the Libertadores final. Piazza, however, was already physically exhausted, with pain in his groin and the decision against River Plate was a real test. The player played in the sacrifice in the first two games, in which Cruzeiro won 4-1 and River triumphed 2-1. In this second game, an infiltration was applied to his groin, so that he could gather minimal playing conditions.

It was in this sacrifice that the captain of Cruzeiro entered the field in the last game played in Santiago de Chile. Winning the Libertadores on the field was his great dream, which he intended to achieve even if it was his last game. They even proposed his departure from the field in this decisive match, but the player put his foot down and said he would stay. Something that worked, since Cruzeiro won their unprecedented title by winning 3-2 and Piazza lifted the Continental Cup.

This match would also be one of the last of his career, as his pain caused by injuries was getting stronger and stronger. In this way, Cruzeiro decided not to renew with Piazza, which left the player very hurt, as he felt aggrieved after so many achievements and constant commitment to the club. Thus, his last match as a professional took place on June 29, 1977, against ESAB, for the Minas Gerais championship. Therefore, in a not very pleasant way and without celebrating, the 34-year-old midfielder said goodbye to the field.

His career with the Seleção was long, between 1967 and 1975, he participated in 51 matches. He made his debut in a 0-0 draw against Uruguay, a match that marked the beginning of his adventure with the yellows.

He returned in 1969, during a friendly match against Peru, then played the Copa America 1969, the first major international tournament he played. But the team did not even manage to get out of the group stages, a huge disappointment.

Despite this, he was kept to play the 1970 World Cup which took place in Mexico. He then played as a central defender in one of the greatest teams of all time. He thus led the national team to the coronation and was a national hero alongside the legend Pelé.

But in 1974, he did not play much, in any case, less than expected. During his career with the Seleção, he rubbed shoulders with legends such as Gérson, Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto as a defense teammate.

- Bola De Prata in 1972

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