Zico

Lore & Background

Zico is a nickname for Arthur Antunes Coimbra (born 1953), a Brazilian footballer and coach. It is also a nickname for Milton Antonio Nunes Niemet (born 1966), a Brazilian footballer and coach, and for South Korean rapper Woo Ji-ho (born 1992). As a given name, it appears for Zico Bailey (born 2000), American soccer player; Zico Doe (fl. from 1990), Liberian footballer; Zico Otieno (Zedekiah Otieno, born 1968), Kenyan footballer; Zico Rumkabu (born 1989), Indonesian footballer; Zico Senamuang or Kiatisuk Senamuang (born 1973), Thai footballer and coach; and Zico Waeytens (born 1991), Belgian cyclist. Other uses include Zico Football Center, a sports complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Zico (drink), a brand of coconut water; and Zico, the ship of the 2024 Mozambique boat disaster.

In Their Own Story

Seville, June 1982. The Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan is a cauldron of orange and white. Zico, barely five-foot-five, lines up a free kick twenty-five yards out. He doesn't rush. He taps the ball back and forth, eyes on the wall, eyes on the keeper. The crowd roars. He strikes — the ball dips, swerves, and kisses the underside of the crossbar before dropping into the net. For three seconds, the whole stadium is silent. Then the roar returns, ten times louder. He does not celebrate. He simply turns, jogs back to his position, and waits for the next phase. Because he knows, with the quiet certainty of a man who has seen too many beautiful things end, that the match is not over. And it never is, not for him. Not in '82. Not in '86. Not ever, in the memory of the people who watched.

Reader's Guide

See also: Zico Soccer, a video game; Zico Chain, a British rock band; Zito (disambiguation); Zeiko Lewis (born 1994), Bermudian footballer; Mostafa Ziko (born 1997), Egyptian footballer; All pages with titles beginning with Zico; All pages with titles containing Zico.

Did You Know?

• Zico (footballer, born 1953) is also known as Arthur Antunes Coimbra.
• Zico (footballer, born 1966) is also known as Milton Antonio Nunes Niemet.
• Zico (rapper) is South Korean rapper Woo Ji-ho, born 1992.