Falcão

The eighth King of Rome and one of Brazil's greatest midfielders.

Paulo Roberto Falcão (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu ʁoˈbɛʁtu fawˈkɐ̃w]; born 16 October 1953), usually known as simply Falcão, is a Brazilian former footballer and football manager. He is universally considered one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time and one of the greatest midfielders in football history, and one of the best players in the world in his position at his peak in the 1980s.

Quick Facts

Full name: Paulo Roberto Falcão
Born: 16 October 1953
Birthplace: Abelardo Luz, Brazil
Height: 1.83 m / 6 ft
Position: Midfielder
Total caps: 461
Total goals: 80

Lore & Background

Falcão is widely considered one of the best players in Internacional and Roma history, playing also for São Paulo. At one stage, he was the world's highest paid footballer. Due to his success and performances with Roma, Falcão earned the nickname 'the eighth King of Rome' from the fans, like Amedeo Amadei before him, and was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2013. For the Brazil national team, Falcão was capped 34 times between February 1976 and June 1986. He appeared at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, playing in midfield alongside Zico, Sócrates and Éder, considered one of the greatest Brazilian national teams ever. He was named by Pelé one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards ceremony in 2004. Colombian forward Radamel Falcao's father was a footballer and football fan and named him after Falcão.

Reader's Guide

Falcão began his professional career at Internacional, winning three Brazilian National Championships (1975, 1976, 1979) and reaching the 1980 Copa Libertadores final. He transferred to Roma in 1980, winning the Coppa Italia in 1981 and the Serie A title in 1982–83, and reaching the 1984 European Cup final. He later played for São Paulo, winning the Campeonato Paulista and Taça dos Campeões Estaduais Rio–São Paulo in 1985. For Brazil, he made 34 appearances, scoring six goals.

He was a key part of the 1982 World Cup team, scoring two goals in the tournament: one against Scotland and one against New Zealand. He also scored in the 3–2 loss to Italy. He was called up for the 1986 World Cup, playing as a substitute against Spain and Algeria. After retiring, he managed the Brazil national team (1990–1991), América, Internacional, the Japan national team, Bahia, Sport, and returned to Internacional in 2016. He joined Santos as a sporting coordinator in November 2022 and left in August 2023.

Did You Know?

He was left out of Brazil's 1978 World Cup squad despite being on the 40-player shortlist.
Falcão's knee injury in 1984 led to an unauthorized operation in New York City and termination of his Roma contract.
He was elected the second best player of the 1982 World Cup, winning the Silver Ball.