Carlos Alberto Torres

O Capitão do Tri: Legendary Brazilian defender and 1970 World Cup-winning captain.

Carlos Alberto "Capita" Torres (17 July 1944 – 25 October 2016), also known as "o Capitão do Tri", was a Brazilian football player and manager who played as an attacking right-sided full-back or wing-back. He captained the Brazil national team to victory in the 1970 World Cup, scoring the fourth goal in the final.

Quick Facts

Born: 17 July 1944
Birthplace: Imperial de São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died: 25 October 2016
Place of death: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height: 1.80 m / 5 ft 11 in
Position: Right-back, centre-back
Total caps: 743
Total goals: 64

Lore & Background

Carlos Alberto was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1944. He had a twin brother, Carlos Roberto, who died one month before him in 2016. He was married three times: with Sueli (mother of his children Andréa and Alexandre Torres, also a player), with the actress Teresinha Sodré and with Graça, his last wife. He joined Fluminense at age 19, moved to Santos in 1966, returned to Fluminense in 1974, and in 1977 moved to Flamengo. Later in 1977, he moved to the New York Cosmos, arriving on the day of the New York City blackout. He died in Rio de Janeiro on 25 October 2016 due to a sudden heart attack.

Reader's Guide

Carlos Alberto's club career included Fluminense (1963–1966, 1974–1977), Santos (1966–1974), Flamengo (1977), New York Cosmos (1977–1978, 1982), and California Surf (1981). He was capped 53 times for Brazil from 1964 to 1977, scoring 8 goals. He captained Brazil in the 1970 World Cup and later captained the national team in 1977 qualifiers. As a manager, he coached Flamengo (1983), Fluminense (1984, 1994–1995), Botafogo (1993–1994, 1997–1998, 2002–2003), and other clubs. He also managed the Azerbaijan national team from 2004 to 2005.

Did You Know?

He was named one of six Ambassadors of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
He was an inductee to the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame and a member of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame.