Garrincha

Lore & Background

Garrincha played a vital role in Brazil's 1958 and 1962 World Cup victories. In 1962, when Pelé was injured, Garrincha led Brazil to a World Cup victory with a dominating performance throughout the tournament. He also became the first player to win the Golden Boot (Leading Goalscorer) and the World Cup in the same tournament. He was named in the World Cup All-Star Teams of both 1958 and 1962.

In 1994, he was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team. Brazil never lost a match while fielding both Garrincha and Pelé. In 1999, he came seventh in the FIFA Player of the Century grand jury vote. He is a member of the World Team of the 20th Century, and was inducted into the Brazilian Football Hall of Fame.

Due to his immense popularity in Brazil, he was also called Alegria do Povo (People's Joy) and Anjo de Pernas Tortas (Bent-Legged Angel). At club level, Garrincha played the majority of his professional career for the Brazilian team Botafogo. In the Maracanã Stadium, the home team room is known as 'Garrincha'. In the capital Brasília, the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha is named after him.

Reader's Guide

Garrincha was born in Pau Grande, a district of Magé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in 1933. He was born with his right leg 6 centimetres shorter than his left, also his left leg turned outwards and his right turned inwards, leading one doctor to certify him as crippled as a child. His father was an alcoholic, a problem which Garrincha would inherit. He earned the nickname Garrincha (meaning 'wren') from his sister.

Garrincha was also known as Mané by his friends. He did not arrive in professional football until his late teens; he had no interest in a professional career despite his immense talent. Garrincha's younger brother, Jimmy dos Santos, played 20 games for Série A side Vasco da Gama in 1959. Garrincha was already married and a parent when he signed for Botafogo in 1953.

In his first training session, he dribbled the ball through the legs of Nílton Santos. He played in a 5–0 win for Botafogo's reserves and then scored a hat trick on his first-team début against Bonsucesso on 19 July 1953. He helped Botafogo win the Campeonato Carioca in 1957 by scoring 20 goals in 26 games. After the 1962 World Cup, he carried Botafogo to victory in the 1962 Campeonato Carioca final against Flamengo.

He played for Botafogo for 12 years, won the Campeonato Carioca three times, scored 232 goals in 581 matches. In 1966, he was sold to Corinthians. Two years later, he signed for Colombian team Atlético Junior. The same year, he joined Flamengo, where he would stay until 1969.

In 1971, there were rumours he would join French club Red Star, but he never signed. His professional career lasted until 1972, when he played for Olaria, but he played occasional exhibition matches until 1982. Garrincha played 50 international matches for Brazil between 1955 and 1966, appearing in three World Cups (1958, 1962, and 1966). Brazil lost only one match with him on the pitch—against Hungary in 1966, which was also his final appearance.

His first cap was against Chile in 1955. He played two matches at the Copa América of 1957 and four in the 1959 edition; Brazil finished runners up in both. In the 1958 World Cup, he scored a famous goal against Fiorentina in a pre-tournament friendly, beating four defenders and the goalkeeper before stopping on the goal line and dribbling past a returning defender.