Jairzinho

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Lore & Background

Jairzinho was nicknamed 'the Hurricane' (Portuguese: o Furacão) in reference to the way his jersey would shake as he ran down the wing. He replaced his footballing idol Garrincha in both the Botafogo and Brazil teams, and played in three consecutive World Cups: 1966, 1970 and 1974. He is widely considered one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time and one of the greatest wingers of all time.

In Their Own Story

At the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, Jairzinho was one of stars of the tournament. He scored in every game Brazil played in for the Seleção, for which he received the epithet "Furacão da Copa" (World Cup Hurricane). His impressive goals tally at the finals were not enough to win the Golden Boot, which went to Germany's Gerd Müller, who scored ten goals. Jairzinho has claimed that FIFA awarded him a "best body on the planet" prize for his athleticism; however, FIFA has no record of this award. He made his international debut as a 19 year old in 1964 against Portugal, again when Garrincha was injured. He played in the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England; however, with Garrincha back in the side, he played as a left winger. Jairzinho struggled to be effective in this position especially at his young age, and he couldn't prevent Brazil from exiting the competition in the first round.

Reader's Guide

Jairzinho started his career at Botafogo, making his professional debut at age 15 in 1960. He spent eleven years at the club, scoring 186 goals in 416 appearances. He later played for Marseille, Kaizer Chiefs, Cruzeiro, Portuguesa, Noroeste, Fast Clube, Jorge Wilstermann, and returned to Botafogo in 1981. At the 1970 World Cup, he scored in every game Brazil played.

Did You Know?

• Jairzinho scored in every game Brazil played at the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
• He was known for his large afro towards the later stages of his career.
• He scored a hat-trick vs Flamengo in a 6–0 victory in 1972.
• He ranks sixth in all-time top goal scorers for Botafogo.