José Macia

1954/69 Santos FC (BRA) 750 matches, 405 goals

With the National Team :

34 caps, 16 goals

(Friendly matches: 16 caps, 7 goals)

(Copa America: 6 caps, 3 goals)

(Copa Julio Roca: 3 caps, 2 goals)

(Copa Oswaldo Cruz: 4 caps, 2 goals)

(Copa Bernardo O'Higgins: 2 caps)

(Copa Del Atlantico: 3 caps, 2 goals)

1st cap: July 8, 1956 against Argentina (0-0)

Last cap: May 19, 1963 against Israel (5-0)

Unofficial: 7 caps, 6 goals

José Macia "Pepe"

Born February 25, 1935 in Santos (BRE)

Brazilian, Left-winger, 1m75

Nickname: Canhão da Vila

José Macia, also nicknamed "Pepe", was born on February 25, 1935 in Santos, Brazil. He made his debut in 1954 and in 1955, the young Brazilian winger proved decisive, scoring the goal that gave Santos FC its second Paulista championship title. A title that was over 20 years old. The player left the stadium cheered by the entire crowd.

Within one of the best teams in the history of football, Pepe would impose himself and win around twenty trophies, making Santos FC one of the most dominant teams in history. The club's leaders will also decide for financial reasons and also to show the club's superiority to organize several friendly matches and tours against European teams. Which will limit the number of participations in the Copa Libertadores.

José Macia was known for his quality of strike, one of the most powerful strikes in history, it is said that he would have knocked out certain players on free kicks taken on the wall of players. The Brazilian winger will not have been lucky with injuries, they always occur at the worst moments.

The player who will have participated in 34 official matches for 16 goals with the Brazilian national team will be injured each time during the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, he will also be the only player in history to win 2 World Cups without participating in a single minute of a match in the tournaments.

Among the most memorable matches of his career, there will be this return match in the Intercontinental Cup against AC Milan in 1963, at the Maracanã. In the legendary stadium, the player will perform a masterclass. Santos FC was losing 2-0 at half-time, and in total, they lost 6-2 on aggregate, but Pepe decided otherwise, he will score a double that allows his team to finish the match 4-2, which will give rise to a replay and a final victory for the Brazilian club.

The following year, in Lisbon, Santos FC will win the title of Club World Champion for the first time in its history. Pepe will describe the match as the best ever achieved by Santos FC, a clear and easy 5-2 victory for the Brazilian club against Eusébio's Benfica. Pepe will score a goal in this iconic match.

A disciplined player, he will always have been fair play. He unquestionably held his starting place at Santos FC until 1965, then until 1969, he played an occasional starting role. He spent a total of 15 years as a professional for his club, never having left it, despite tempting offers from major European clubs. He retired in 1969, at the age of 34.

- Received the Belfort Duarte Award in 1966

- Top scorer of the Rio-São Paulo tournament in 1961 (9 goals) (Santos FC)

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