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Leônidas
|
Personal information |
|
Full name |
Leônidas da
Silva |
|
Date of birth |
September 6,
1913(1913-09-06) |
|
Place of birth |
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil |
|
Date of death |
January 24,
2004 (aged 90) |
|
Place of death |
São Paulo, Brazil |
|
Playing position |
Striker |
|
Senior career* |
|
Years |
Team |
Apps† |
(Gls)† |
|
1929 |
São Cristóvão |
|
|
|
1929–1930 |
Sírio e Libanês |
|
|
|
1931–1932 |
Bonsucesso |
|
|
|
1933 |
Peñarol |
|
|
|
1934 |
Vasco da
Gama |
|
|
|
1935–1936 |
Botafogo |
|
|
|
1936–1942 |
Flamengo |
88 |
(89) |
|
1943–1950 |
São
Paulo |
|
|
|
National team‡ |
|
1932–1946 |
Brazil |
19 |
(21) |
*
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league
only.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 June 2009 |
Leônidas da Silva (September 6, 1913 – January
24, 2004) was a Brazilian football player and commentator. He played
for Brazil in two World Cups. He
was the top scorer of the 1938 World Cup.
He was known as the "Black Diamond", and as the
"Rubber Man" – due to his elasticity. He was one of the
pioneers of the bicycle kick.
Club
career
Leônidas, born in Rio de Janeiro, started his career at São Cristóvão. In
1931 and in 1932, he played for Bonsucesso.
He joined Peñarol in Uruguay in 1933. After one year, he came back
to Brazil to play for Vasco da
Gama. He helped them win the Rio State Championship. After
playing in the World Cup in
1934 he joined Botafogo and won another
Rio State Championship in 1935. On the following year, he joined Flamengo, where he stayed
until 1941. Once again, in 1939, he won Rio State Championship. He
also fought prejudice, being one of the first black players to join
the then-elitist Flamengo team.
Leonidas joined São Paulo
in 1942 and stayed at the club until his retirement from playing in
1950.
National
team
He played 19 times for the Brazilian national team,
scoring 21 goals. He scored twice on his debut for the Brazilian national team.
In 1938, he was the World Cup's top
scorer with 7 goals, scoring at least three times[1] in the
6-5 extra time win over Poland. Brazil manager
Ademar Pimenta decided to rest him for the semi-final against
Italy. The Italians won the game 2-1.
After
retirement
He joined São Paulo as manager in 1953, before leaving football
to become a radio reporter and then the owner
of a furniture store in
São Paulo. Leônidas died in 2004 in Cotia, São Paulo, because of complications due to Alzheimer's disease, from which he
had been suffering since 1974. He is buried in the Cemitério Morada da Paz of
São Paulo.
Trivia
- A chocolate manufacturer in Brazil created the bar Diamante
Negro (Black Diamond) in his honor. The chocolate is still
produced as of 2009.
- He is credited with inventing the bicycle kick. However, he himself
attributed the invention of this move to another Brazilian player,
Petronilho de Brito, claiming he
only perfected it.
- Leônidas was popular by playing some of his games barefeet, in
which he scored with long range shots.
Quotes
- "He was a rigorously Brazilian player. Had the fantasy,
childhoodness, improvisation and the sensuality from the best
Brazilian players" -- (Nelson Rodrigues, playwright)
References
- ^
Some sources claimed that Leonidas scored only three goals in the
victory over Poland instead of the often quoted four. According to
Polish experts, Brazil's six goals were scored by: Leonidas (18th,
93rd and 104th minutes), Romeu (25th minute) and Perácio
(44th and 71st minute). This is now recognised by the RSSSF (see RSSSF page on 1938
tournament) and also FIFA
itself (see match data at official FIFA
World Cup site). In November 2006, FIFA also confirmed that he
scored only once in the quarter-final replay against Czechoslovakia,
not twice as FIFA had originally recorded (see media release by FIFA).
This means he finished as the top goalscorer of the tournament with
an official tally of 7 goals.
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