On 16 February 1964, Bebeto, star of the 1994 World Cup and creator of a famous goal celebration, was born in the Brazilian city of Salvador.
A forward, whose real name is José Roberto Gama de Oliveira, he spent the majority of his career alternating between the Brazilian and Spanish top flights, including lengthy spells with Flamengo (1983-88, 1996), Vasco da Gama (1989-92, 2001-02), and Deportiva la Coruña (1992-96). Along the way, he won league titles in 1983 and 1989, as well as the 1995 Copa del Rey.
He earned his first cap for Brazil in 1985 and made 75 appearances through 1998, scoring a total of 39 goals. During Brazil's winning campaign in the 1994 World Cup, he played every minute and scored three goals. After his third, which put his team up 2-1 against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals (Brazil went on to win 3-2), he honored his newborn son by making a rocking motion with his arms. It eventually became a staple goal celebration.
After his retirement in 2002, he briefly managed America FC in Rio de Janeiro from 2009 to 2010, then switched to politics with his 2010 election to Brazil's legislative assembly.
On 22 December 2010, the Brazilian Football Confederation shook up the Brazilian top flight by officially recognizing the winners of past tournaments as national champions.
Although Brazilian football dates back to the 1890s, a formal national league system did not exist until 1971. Prior to that, teams competed in regional and local leagues, as well as a couple of national tournaments, the Taça Brasil (not to be confused with the Copa do Brasil), played from 1959 to 1968, and the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, also known as the Taça de Prata, played from 1967 to 1970.
In 1971, the Taça de Prata became the Campeonato Brasileiro, the current league system, of which Série A is the top flight. Initially, the CFB recognized only the Série A winners as national champions, which meant that, as of 2010, São Paulo's six league titles were the most of any team, followed by Flamengo's five (Flamengo claims a disputed sixth title from 1987, though the CFB does not recognize it).
But in 2010, a handful of clubs, including Palmeiras and Santos, petitioned the CFB to recognize the winners of the earlier competitions as national champions. Not coincidentally, the change meant that Palmeiras and Santos each had a shared-record eight combined titles, ahead of Sáo Paulo, who were still stuck at six. Palmeiras won the league in 2016 to extend the record to 9.
On 23 November 1981, Flamengo survived a battle of attrition with Cobreloa to win the Copa Libertadores in a replay that had two goals and five red cards.
The two teams split the first two legs of the final, with each holding serve at home. The second match, won by Cobreloa 1-0 in Santiago, was a heated affair that drew blood from one Flamengo player and saw another get stepped on while lying on the ground.
That set the tone for the replay, contested at the neutral location of Montevideo's Estadio Centenario. There, Flamengo playmaker Zico--who had scored both goals in their 2-1 victory in the first leg--again rose to the occasion with another brace. He scored his first goal from close range in the 18th minute, then doubled the lead with a 20-yard free kick in the 84th minute. In between, three players were ejected, one from Flamengo and two from Cobreloa.
With the title firmly in hand after Zico's second goal, Flamengo manager Paulo César Carpegiani sent in towering striker José Anselmo as an 86th minute substitute. Three minutes later, Anselmo received a red card of his own after punching Cobreloa defender Mario Soto in the face in what appeared to be a retaliation for Soto's violent play in the second leg. The referee ejected Soto in the 90th minute, making a total of five expulsions on the day.
The win qualified Flamengo for the 1981 Intercontinental Cup against European Cup champions Liverpool, with the Brazilians emerging as 0-3 victors.
On 13 December 1981, Flamengo beat Liverpool 3-0 in the Intercontinental Cup before a crowd of 62,000 at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Since its creation in 1960, the Intercontinental Cup pitted the European champions against the South American champions. As winners of the European Cup in 1977 and 1978, Liverpool qualified for the Intercontinental Cup in both years, but declined both times. The 1981 match was thus the first appearance for both clubs.
The outcome of the match was never in doubt, as it became a showcase for the Brazilians' playmaker and captain, Zico, who created all three of Flamengo's goals. In the 12th minute, he sent a lob pass over the Liverpool defense to set up the goal by Nunes; in the 34th minute, he delivered a free kick that was slotted home by Adilio; and in the 41st minute, he sent a precision pass into the box for Nunes, who completed his brace.
The English side, meanwhile, was unable to penetrate Flamengo's stout defense and ended up on the wrong side of the 3-0 scoreline. For his efforts, Zico was named man of the match.
The 1981 match is Flamengo's only appearance to date in the Cup. Liverpool made it again in 1984, when they lost to Argentinian side Independiente.
On 18 September 1976, future Galactico and Brazilian star striker Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima, more commonly known simply as "Ronaldo," was born in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1993, Ronaldo signed his first professional contract with Brazilian club Cruzeiro, but made only 14 appearances for them (and scoring 12 goals) before transferring to PSV Eindhoven in 1994 for a fee of $6 million. He rose to prominence with Eindhoven, scoring 54 goals in 57 appearances. He was the Eredivisie's top scorer in his first season and helped propel Eindhoven to the Dutch Cup trophy in his second season.
Ronaldo hasn't stayed particularly long with any club, leaving PSV after two seasons for Barcelona. He stayed at Barça for the 1996-97 season, then moved to Inter (1997-2002), Real Madrid (2002-07), and Milan (2007-08 ). Along the way, he earned numerous team honors, including the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1997, with Barça), UEFA Cup (1998, with Inter), and La Liga title (2003 and 2007, with Real). He also led Brazil to the World Cup title in 1994 and 2002.
Ronaldo claimed an ample supply of individual awards as well, including the European Golden Boot (1996-97), UEFA Most Valuable Player (1997-98), World Cup Golden Ball (1998), and the Ballon d'Or (1997, 2002). He is one of only two people (the other being Zinedine Zidane) to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year three times (1996, 1997, 2002).
In February 2008, Ronaldo suffered a potentially career-ending knee injury while playing for Milan. Released at the end of the season, Ronaldo trained with Brazilian side Flamengo during his recovery before controversially signing with rivals Corinthians in 2009, where he remained until his retirement in 2011.
On 28 April 1948, Evanivaldo Castro was born in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Better known as "Cabinho," he spent the majority of his career in Mexico, where he was one of the league's top goalscorers.
He started his career for Brazilian club Flamengo, but played only six matches for them before moving in 1974 to Mexico's Club Universidad Nacional, better known as the UNAM Pumas. He made an immediate impact, scoring 16 goals his first season, then becoming the team's leading goalscorer for the next four seasons (though he shared that title in 1978-79 with teammate Hugo Sánchez). With Cabinho providing the attack, UNAM won their first league title in 1977.
In 1979, he transferred to Atlante FC, where he continued his scoring touch, leading the team in goals in each of his first three seasons. He later played for Club León and UANL Tigres, in between returning to Brazil for a one-year stint with Paysandu. In all, he scored 312 goals in 415 matches for Mexican sides.
On 3 March 1950, Brazilian playmaker and 1983 Player of the Year Arthur Antunes Coimbra, better known as "Zico," was born Rio de Janeiro. A supremely talented dribbler and finisher, the midfielder has also been nicknamed "the White Pelé," with Pelé himself saying "throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico."
He started his playing career with the youth academy of his hometown club, Flamengo, eventually signing for them professionally in 1971. He spent the majority of his career with the club, making a total of 504 appearances in all competitions, including friendlies, between 1971 and 1983. It was a tremendously successful period for the club, who won multiple trophies, including six Rio State titles and three Brazilian Championships. Their most successful year was 1981, which saw Flamengo win both the Copa Liberatadores and the Intercontinental Cup. For his role, Zico earned numerous individual accolades, including being named man of the match in the Intercontinental Cup Final for creating all three goals in Flamengo's 3-0 win over Liverpool in Tokyo's National Stadium .
In 1983, after leading Flamengo to a third Brazilian championship, Zico moved to Italy to play for Udinese. Although he got off to a promising start, notching 24 goals in his first season and being named World Soccer Magazine's 1983 Player of the Year, his scoring touch dropped off in his second season and he returned to Flamengo having failed to win any silverware with the Italian club. He made another 74 appearances for Flamengo between 1985 and 1989, bringing his career total to 731, the most of any Flamengo player. He also led them to yet another Brazilian title in 1987.
Although Zico had a distinguished international career with Brazil, earning 72 caps, he never appeared in a World Cup Final. Brazil's best finish during that time was third in the 1978 tournament.
Zico retired from playing in 1994 after time in Japan with Sumitomo Metals (1991-92) and Kashima Antlers (1992-94). He turned to management in 1999 with Kashima, but has not enjoyed the same success he had as a player. Most recently, he managed Qatari club Al-Gharafa, signing with them in August 2013, but was sacked after four months.
On 6 October 1976, Pelé returned to the Brazilian national team after a five-year absence to make one last appearance in a friendly against Flamengo.
His last official appearance was in a 2-2 draw with Yugoslavia on 18 July 1971, but he continued to play at the club level. In 1976, he was in his second of three seasons with the New York Cosmos when he got the call to play again for Brazil in an exhibition against Rio club Flamengo at the Maracaña.
In addition to Pelé, Brazil's starting eleven included fellow stars Carlos Alberto, Jairzinho, and Rivelino, while Flamengo's team included up-and-coming Seleçao players Zico and Júnior, who would combine for over 140 appearances over the next decade.
As it turned out, the young guns outdid the old hands as Flamengo won 2-0 with goals from Paulinho and Luís Paulo.
On 16 February 1964, Bebeto, star of the 1994 World Cup and creator of a famous goal celebration, was born in the Brazilian city of Salvador.
A forward, whose real name is José Roberto Gama de Oliveira, he spent the majority of his career alternating between the Brazilian and Spanish top flights, including lengthy spells with Flamengo (1983-88, 1996), Vasco da Gama (1989-92, 2001-02), and Deportiva la Coruña (1992-96). Along the way, he won league titles in 1983 and 1989, as well as the 1995 Copa del Rey.
He earned his first cap for Brazil in 1985 and made 75 appearances through 1998, scoring a total of 39 goals. During Brazil's winning campaign in the 1994 World Cup, he played every minute and scored three goals. After his third, which put his team up 2-1 against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals (Brazil went on to win 3-2), he honored his newborn son by making a rocking motion with his arms. It eventually became a staple goal celebration.
After his retirement in 2002, he briefly managed America FC in Rio de Janeiro from 2009 to 2010, then switched to politics with his 2010 election to Brazil's legislative assembly.
On 22 December 2010, the Brazilian Football Confederation shook up the Brazilian top flight by officially recognizing the winners of past tournaments as national champions.
Although Brazilian football dates back to the 1890s, a formal national league system did not exist until 1971. Prior to that, teams competed in regional and local leagues, as well as a couple of national tournaments, the Taça Brasil (not to be confused with the Copa do Brasil), played from 1959 to 1968, and the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, also known as the Taça de Prata, played from 1967 to 1970.
In 1971, the Taça de Prata became the Campeonato Brasileiro, the current league system, of which Série A is the top flight. Initially, the CFB recognized only the Série A winners as national champions, which meant that, as of 2010, São Paulo's six league titles were the most of any team, followed by Flamengo's five (Flamengo claims a disputed sixth title from 1987, though the CFB does not recognize it).
But in 2010, a handful of clubs, including Palmeiras and Santos, petitioned the CFB to recognize the winners of the earlier competitions as national champions. Not coincidentally, when the confederation announced its decision, both Palmeiras and Santos each had a shared-record eight combined titles, ahead of Sáo Paulo, who were still stuck at six.
The 2012 season recently ended and those three teams remain the top three with an unchanged tally.
On 23 November 1981, Flamengo survived a battle of attrition with Cobreloa to win the Copa Libertadores in a replay that had two goals and five red cards.
The two teams split the first two legs of the final, with each holding serve at home. The second match, won by Cobreloa 1-0 in Santiago, was a heated affair that drew blood from one Flamengo player and saw another get stepped on while lying on the ground.
That set the tone for the replay, contested at the neutral location of Montevideo's Estadio Centenario. There, Flamengo playmaker Zico--who had scored both goals in their 2-1 victory in the first leg--again rose to the occasion with another brace. He scored his first goal from close range in the 18th minute, then doubled the lead with a 20-yard free kick in the 84th minute. In between, three players were ejected, one from Flamengo and two from Cobreloa.
With the title firmly in hand after Zico's second goal, Flamengo manager Paulo César Carpegiani sent in towering striker José Anselmo as an 86th minute substitute. Three minutes later, Anselmo received a red card of his own after punching Cobreloa defender Mario Soto in the face in what appeared to be a retaliation for Soto's violent play in the second leg. The referee ejected Soto in the 90th minute, making a total of five expulsions on the day.
The win qualified Flamengo for the 1981 Intercontinental Cup against European Cup champions Liverpool, with the Brazilians emerging as 0-3 victors.
On 3 March 1950, Brazilian playmaker and 1983 Player of the Year Arthur Antunes Coimbra, better known as "Zico," was born Rio de Janeiro. A supremely talented dribbler and finisher, the midfielder has also been nicknamed "the White Pelé," with Pelé himself saying "throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico."
He started his playing career with the youth academy of his hometown club, Flamengo, eventually signing for them professionally in 1971. He spent the majority of his career with the club, making a total of 504 appearances in all competitions, including friendlies, between 1971 and 1983. It was a tremendously successful period for the club, who won multiple trophies, including six Rio State titles and three Brazilian Championships. Their most successful year was 1981, which saw Flamengo win both the Copa Liberatadores and the Intercontinental Cup. For his role, Zico earned numerous individual accolades, including being named man of the match in the Intercontinental Cup Final for creating all three goals in Flamengo's 3-0 win over Liverpool in Tokyo's National Stadium .
In 1983, after leading Flamengo to a third Brazilian championship, Zico moved to Italy to play for Udinese. Although he got off to a promising start, notching 24 goals in his first season and being named World Soccer Magazine's 1983 Player of the Year, his scoring touch dropped off in his second season and he returned to Flamengo having failed to win any silverware with the Italian club. He made another 74 appearances for Flamengo between 1985 and 1989, bringing his career total to 731, the most of any Flamengo player. He also led them to yet another Brazilian title in 1987.
Although Zico had a distinguished international career with Brazil, earning 72 caps, he never appeared in a World Cup Final. Brazil's best finish during that time was third in the 1978 tournament.
Zico retired from playing in 1994 after time in Japan with Sumitomo Metals (1991-92) and Kashima Antlers (1992-94). He turned to management in 1999 with Kashima, but has not enjoyed the same success he had as a player. Most recently, he managed Greek club Olympiacos, signing with them 2009, but was sacked after four months.
On 13 December 1981, Flamengo beat Liverpool 3-0 in the Intercontinental Cup before a crowd of 62,000 at Tokyo's National Stadium.
Since its creation in 1960, the Intercontinental Cup pitted the European champions against the South American champions. As winners of the European Cup in 1977 and 1978, Liverpool qualified for the Intercontinental Cup in both years, but declined both times. The 1981 match was thus the first appearance for both clubs.
The outcome of the match was never in doubt, as it became a showcase for the Brazilians' playmaker and captain, Zico, who created all three of Flamengo's goals. In the 12th minute, he sent a lob pass over the Liverpool defense to set up the goal by Nunes; in the 34th minute, he delivered a free kick that was slotted home by Adilio; and in the 41st minute, he sent a precision pass into the box for Nunes, who completed his brace.
The English side, meanwhile, was unable to penetrate Flamengo's stout defense and ended up on the wrong side of the 3-0 scoreline. For his efforts, Zico was named man of the match.
The 1981 match is Flamengo's only appearance to date in the Cup. Liverpool made it again in 1984, when they lost to Argentinian side Independiente.
On 18 September 1976, future Galactico and Brazilian star striker Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima, more commonly known simply as "Ronaldo," was born in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1993, Ronaldo signed his first professional contract with Brazilian club Cruzeiro, but made only 14 appearances for them (and scoring 12 goals) before transferring to PSV Eindhoven in 1994 for a fee of $6 million. He rose to prominence with Eindhoven, scoring 54 goals in 57 appearances. He was the Eredivisie's top scorer in his first season and helped propel Eindhoven to the Dutch Cup trophy in his second season.
Ronaldo hasn't stayed particularly long with any club, leaving PSV after two seasons for Barcelona. He stayed at Barça for the 1996-97 season, then moved to Inter (1997-2002), Real Madrid (2002-07), and Milan (2007-08 ). Along the way, he earned numerous team honors, including the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1997, with Barça), UEFA Cup (1998, with Inter), and La Liga title (2003 and 2007, with Real). He also led Brazil to the World Cup title in 1994 and 2002.
Ronaldo claimed an ample supply of individual awards as well, including the European Golden Boot (1996-97), UEFA Most Valuable Player (1997-98), World Cup Golden Ball (1998), and the Ballon d'Or (1997, 2002). He is one of only two people (the other being Zinedine Zidane) to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year three times (1996, 1997, 2002).
In February 2008, Ronaldo suffered a potentially career-ending knee injury while playing for Milan. Released at the end of the season, Ronaldo trained with Brazilian side Flamengo during his recovery before controversially signing with rivals Corinthians in 2009.
On 28 April 1948, Evanivaldo Castro was born in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. Better known as "Cabinho," he spent the majority of his career in Mexico, where he was one of the league's top goalscorers.
He started his career for Brazilian club Flamengo, but played only six matches for them before moving in 1974 to Mexico's Club Universidad Nacional, better known as the UNAM Pumas. He made an immediate impact, scoring 16 goals his first season, then becoming the team's leading goalscorer for the next four seasons (though he shared that title in 1978-79 with teammate Hugo Sánchez). With Cabinho providing the attack, UNAM won their first league title in 1977.
In 1979, he transferred to Atlante FC, where he continued his scoring touch, leading the team in goals in each of his first three seasons. He later played for Club León and UANL Tigres, in between returning to Brazil for a one-year stint with Paysandu. In all, he scored 312 goals in 415 matches for Mexican sides.
