Carlos Alberto Torres

Carlos Alberto Torres, often called "Capita" or "o Capitão do Tri," was a Brazilian footballer and manager born in Rio de Janeiro on 17 July 1944, who died on 25 October 2016. He played as an attacking right-sided full-back or wing-back and is remembered as one of football’s finest defenders, combining technical skill with strong defensive instincts. His leadership stood out, and he was also an excellent penalty taker. As captain of the Brazil national team, he lifted the 1970 World Cup trophy after scoring the fourth goal in the final—a strike widely hailed as one of the tournament’s greatest.

Pelé included him in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s best living players in 2004, and he was named to the World Team of the 20th Century. He is enshrined in both the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame and the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. In January 2013, he became one of six Ambassadors for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, alongside Ronaldo, Bebeto, Mário Zagallo, Amarildo, and Marta.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Carlos Alberto had a twin brother, Carlos Roberto, who died a month before him in 2016. He married three times: first to Sueli, mother of his children Andréa and Alexandre Torres (who also became a player), then to actress Teresinha Sodré, and finally to Graça.

His club career began at age 19 with Fluminense, where he quickly impressed with his tackling, reading of the game, and unusual ball control and playmaking for a defender. In 1966, he moved to Santos, becoming Pelé’s teammate. He returned to Fluminense in 1974, helping them win two straight Campeonato Carioca titles, and joined arch-rivals Flamengo in 1977. That same year, he moved to the New York Cosmos, arriving during the New York City blackout and reuniting with Pelé. With the Cosmos, he won consecutive NASL titles in 1977 and 1978. After a year with the California Surf, he returned to the Cosmos in 1982, winning a third NASL title. His farewell game came on 28 September 1982 in an exhibition between the Cosmos and his former club Flamengo. Over 119 regular-season and 26 playoff games, he scored eight goals and was an NASL All-Star five times.

Internationally, Carlos Alberto earned 53 caps and scored eight goals between 1964 and 1977. He was in the 44-man training squad for the 1966 World Cup but missed the final 22. After Brazil’s group-stage exit, new coach João Saldanha recognized his leadership at Santos and made him captain. In the 1970 final against Italy, his goal—racing down the right wing and firing a low shot past Enrico Albertosi after a pass from Pelé—is considered one of the tournament’s best.

The UK public ranked it No. 36 in the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002. That was his only World Cup appearance; a persistent knee injury kept him out of the 1974 tournament. When he regained fitness, his speed had diminished, but his reading of the game allowed him to shift to centre-back and earn a recall. In 1977, Claudio Coutinho selected him to captain Brazil for the first three qualifiers for the 1978 World Cup, his first competitive internationals in nearly seven years.

He retired from international football just before joining the Cosmos, and is now considered one of Brazil’s finest ever players.

His leadership was blunt and fearless—he criticized even Pelé, who was four years older. He was not just a ceremonial captain; he pushed coach Zagallo to replace the inexperienced 19-year-old Marco Antônio with Everaldo. According to UOL, he was “loud-mouthed, impulsive and energetic.” In the 1970 group match against England, after striker Francis Lee kicked goalkeeper Félix in the face, Carlos Alberto abandoned his position to deliver a hard tackle on Lee, who then disappeared from the game.

As a manager, he started with Flamengo in 1983. He later coached Corinthians (1985–1986), Náutico (1986–1988), Once Caldas (1989–1990), Monterrey (1991–1992), Club Tijuana (1992), Botafogo (1993–1994, 1997–1998, 2002–2003), Fluminense (1994–1995), and Querétaro F.C. (1999).