Zizinho

Zizinho was born on September 14, 1921 in São Gonçalo, Brazil. He began his football career at the age of 18 playing for the Flamengo club. In his first professional match, he scored 2 goals. A legend of his first club, he participated in a total of 329 matches for 146 goals scored playing either as a right winger or attacking midfielder.

A legendary figure of his time, he is among the very best players of the 40s and 50s. Considered an absolute legend of football in Brazil, he is often cited alongside the best players in the history of his country. A true artist, he was a maestro, a tamer of the ball. His technical qualities were exceptional, one of the most decisive players in history when it came to putting his teammates in the best conditions to score. He also had a dribbling quality worthy of the best of all time.

Unlike some Brazilian artists, Zizinho did not hesitate to make defensive efforts, he was endowed with incredible endurance. He chained the runs during the entire length of the matches. In 1950, when he was 28 years old, he decided to join the Bangu club, a rival club. He won 2 Torneio Início de Rio de Janeiro in 7 years.

And in 1957, he joined São Paulo where he is still one of the best players in the country and the world. During this period which spans between his 35 and 37 years, he scored 24 goals in 60 matches as an attacking midfielder. Completely crazy statistics, especially since he fully participated in the construction of the game.

But where Zizinho has written his name for posterity in the history of this sport is with the Brazilian national team by becoming one of the first great legends in the history of his country. He began his international career in 1942 at the age of 20, he would continue it until he was 35. During this period, he would score 30 goals and deliver 32 assists in 53 matches, statistics rarely equaled.

He was part of the cursed team of 1950, the Seleçao suffered the Maracanazo and lost the World Cup at home in a match where they simply had to not lose to win the trophy. Final score 2-1 for Uruguay. He who carried the team with Ademir de Menezes would however have finished the tournament as the best player of the World Cup.

It is obvious that if Zizinho had won this trophy, he would have been cited even more strongly as one of the best players in the history of Brazil. During this 1950 World Cup, he had played 4 matches for 2 goals and 3 assists. Nicknamed by the Gazzette dello Sport as the "Leonardo da Vinci of Football", he was the conductor of his team, one of the most talented players in history in creating his team's game.

He will have participated in only 1 World Cup, refusing to participate in the 1958 World Cup, preferring to leave his place to the new generation. At almost 37 years old, he still had the level to be part of the Seleçao and to be why not a starter of this fantastic generation, something that we will have never been able to see.

Zizinho will however have tasted success with Brazil, winning a total of 6 trophies with Brazil and finishing 4 times vice-champion of the Copa America. In 1949, however, he will have won this competition in which he is the undisputed King with 33 matches played for 17 goals and 23 assists. He is therefore still in 2025 a record, the best scorer and best passer in the history of this legendary competition.

The one who was nicknamed "Master Ziza" joined Uberaba SC in 1959 before joining Chile in Audax Italiano in 1961. He hung up his boots there at the age of 40.

- Voted best player of the World Cup in 1950 (Brazil)

- Top scorer of the Rio championship in 1952 (19 goals) (Bangu)

- Named in the typical team of the tournament of the World Cup 1950

- Inducted into the Hall of Fame of Brazilian football

- Voted 4th best Brazilian player of the 20th century according to IFFHS

- Voted 10th best South American player of the 20th century by IFFHS

Homepage