25 December 1944 - Jairzinho Takes Flight

On 25 December 1944, Brazil star Jairzinho was born in Rio de Janeiro. He helped lead them to World Cup victory in 1970, becoming only the third person in history to score in every one of his team's matches in the tournament.

He spent the majority of his career with his hometown club, Botafogo, first joining their youth team, then playing in the first team from 1959 to 1974. There, paired with his idol Garrincha, he won the 1964 Rio State Championship. After Garrincha left in 1965, Jairzinho took his place, moving from the left wing to his preferred position on the right, where he excelled, winning numerous trophies with Botafogo.

Jairzinho joined the national team in 1964. After a disappointing first-round exit in the 1966 World Cup, he got off to a roaring start in 1970, scoring twice in Brazil's 4-1 opening win against Czechoslovakia. He proceeded to score in every match as Brazil won the tournament, joining Uruguay's Alcides Ghiggia (1950) and France's Just Fontaine (1958) as the only players to score in every match for their country in a World Cup.

He left Botafogo in 1974 for a short stay with Marseille, starting a journey that included stints at a number of clubs, including a second term at Botafogo from 1981-82. He retired in 1983 after a brief period with 9 de Octubre in Ecuador.

12 August 1904 - Brazilian Football Goes Electric

On 12 August 1904, a group including students at Rio de Janeiro's Alfredo Gomes College founded a football club they called the Electro Club. Located in the Botafogo Beach neighborhood, they eventually changed the name to Botafogo and built it into one of Brazil's most successful clubs.

The idea for the new club came from Flávio Ramos, who proposed the idea to his algebra classmate Emmanuel Sodré. The two of them rounded up a group of friends, including ardent Juventus supporter Itamer Tavares, who encouraged the club to adopt black and white stripes to mirror Juve. Just a month after the club's foundation, Ramos' grandmother suggested the name change from Electro to Botafogo.

The new club was a near-instant success, winning the first of their 21 Rio de Janeiro State League titles in 1907. They won four straight titles from 1932 to 1935 to secure their status as Brazil's dominant team of that era. In 1942, they merged with Club de Regatas Botafogo, a rowing club, to form their current incarnation, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.

In addition to titles, Botafogo has been the home of some of Brazil's most exceptional players, including Leônidas da Silva (1935-36), Garrincha (1953-65), Mario Zagallo (1966-70, 1975, 1978-79), and Jairzinho (1959-74, 1981-82). Despite their success, which includes three Club World Cup titles (1967, 1968, 1970), Botafogo have won the Brazilian Cup and the Brazilian Série A only once each, though they continue to do well in the Rio de Janeiro Championship, winning it most recently in 2013.

20 January 1983 - This Bird Has Flown

On 20 January 1983, legendary Brazilian winger/forward Manuel Francisco dos Santos, better known as "Garrincha," died in a Rio hospital at the age of 49.

A two-time World Cup champion with Brazil, as well as the 1962 World Football Player of the Year, Garrincha (meaning "little bird") was an unlikely footballer, having been born with a deformed spine, a right leg that bent inwards, and a shorter left leg that curved outwards. By the time he was 18, however, he had developed the uncanny ball control and phenomenal dribbling ability that would establish him as one of the world's most dynamic players.

He spent the majority of his club career in Rio with Botafogo, making 581 league appearances from 1953 to 1965. He debuted for the first team on 19 July 1953 and promptly scored a hat-trick.

Garrincha earned his first cap for Brazil in 1955. He made 60 appearances total for the national side, with Brazil winning the first 59. That run included the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, Brazil's first two cup titles. After he scored two goals in Brazil's 3-1 win over England in the 1962 quarterfinals, the British press described him as "Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, and a snake charmer all rolled into one."

Unfortunately, Garrincha's personal life was less successful, as he struggled with alcoholism, domestic problems, and financial mismanagement. He died from complications related to cirrhosis.

25 December 1944 - Jairzinho Takes Wing

On 25 December 1944, future World Cup star Jairzinho was born in Rio de Janeiro. He helped lead Brazil to World Cup victory in 1970, becoming only the third person in history to score in every one of his team's matches in the tournament.

He spent the majority of his career with his hometown club, Botafogo, first joining their youth team, then playing in the first team from 1959 to 1974. There, paired with his idol Garrincha, he won the 1964 Rio State Championship. After Garrincha left in 1965, Jairzinho took his place, moving from the left wing to his preferred position on the right, where he excelled, winning numerous trophies with Botafogo.

Jairzinho joined the national team in 1964. After a disappointing first-round exit in the 1966 World Cup, he got off to a roaring start in 1970, scoring twice in Brazil's 4-1 opening win against Czechoslovakia. He proceeded to score in every match as Brazil won the tournament, joining Uruguay's Alcides Ghiggia (1950) and France's Just Fontaine (1958) as the only players to score in every match for their country in a World Cup.

He left Botafogo in 1974 for a short stay with Marseille, starting a journey that included stints at a number of clubs, including a second term at Botafogo from 1981-82. He retired in 1983 after a brief period with 9 de Octubre in Ecuador.

12 August 1904 - Brazilian Football Goes Electric

On 12 August 1904, a group including students at Rio de Janeiro's Alfredo Gomes College founded a football club they called the Electro Club. Located in the Botafogo Beach neighborhood, they eventually changed the name to Botafogo and built it into one of Brazil's most successful clubs.

The idea for the new club came from Flávio Ramos, who proposed the idea to his algebra classmate Emmanuel Sodré. The two of them rounded up a group of friends, including ardent Juventus supporter Itamer Tavares, who encouraged the club to adopt black and white stripes to mirror Juve. Just a month after the club's foundation, Ramos' grandmother suggested the name change from Electro to Botafogo.

The new club was a near-instant success, winning the first of their 20 Rio de Janeiro State League titles in 1907. They won four straight titles from 1932 to 1935 to secure their status as Brazil's dominant team of that era. In 1942, they merged with Club de Regatas Botafogo, a rowing club, to form their current incarnation, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.

In addition to titles, Botafogo has been the home of some of Brazil's most exceptional players, including Leônidas da Silva (1935-36), Garrincha (1953-65), Mario Zagallo (1966-70, 1975, 1978-79), and Jairzinho (1959-74, 1981-82). Despite their success, which includes three Club World Cup titles (1967, 1968, 1970), Botafogo have won the Brazilian Cup and the Brazilian Série A only once each, though they continue to do well in the Rio de Janeiro Championship, winning it most recently in 2010.

20 January 1983 - This Bird Has Flown

On 20 January 1983, legendary Brazilian winger/forward Manuel Francisco dos Santos, better known as "Garrincha," died in a Rio hospital at the age of 49.

A two-time World Cup champion with Brazil, as well as the 1962 World Football Player of the Year, Garrincha (meaning "little bird") was an unlikely footballer, having been born with a deformed spine, a right leg that bent inwards, and a shorter left leg that curved outwards. By the time he was 18, however, he had developed the uncanny ball control and phenomenal dribbling ability that would establish him as one of the world's most dynamic players.

He spent the majority of his club career in Rio with Botafogo, making 581 league appearances from 1953 to 1965. He debuted for the first team on 19 July 1953 and promptly scored a hat-trick.

Garrincha earned his first cap for Brazil in 1955. He made 60 appearances total for the national side, with Brazil winning the first 59. That run included the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, Brazil's first two cup titles. After he scored two goals in Brazil's 3-1 win over England in the 1962 quarterfinals, the British press described him as "Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, and a snake charmer all rolled into one."

Unfortunately, Garrincha's personal life was less successful, as he struggled with alcoholism, domestic problems, and financial mismanagement. He died from complications related to cirrhosis.