Garrincha

Manuel Francisco dos Santos, born on 28 October 1933 and known as Mané Garrincha or simply Garrincha (Portuguese for "wren"), was a Brazilian right winger. He is considered among the finest footballers in history, and many regard him as one of the greatest dribblers ever.

Garrincha was crucial to Brazil’s World Cup wins in 1958 and 1962. In 1962, with Pelé injured, he led the team to victory with a dominant tournament, becoming the first player to win the Golden Ball (Player of the Tournament), the Golden Boot (top scorer), and the World Cup in the same year. He was named to the World Cup All-Star Teams for both 1958 and 1962, and in 1994 he was selected for the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team. Brazil never lost a match when both he and Pelé played. In 1999, he placed 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. His popularity in Brazil earned him the nicknames Alegria do Povo (People’s Joy) and Anjo de Pernas Tortas (Bent-Legged Angel).

Most of his club career was spent with Botafogo. At Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium, the home team room is named "Garrincha," and in Brasília, the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha bears his name. He is credited with inspiring the use of bullfighting olé chants in football stadiums.

Garrincha was born in Pau Grande, a district of Magé, Rio de Janeiro state, in 1933. His right leg was six centimetres shorter than his left, and his legs were deformed—the left turned outward, the right inward—leading a doctor to certify him as crippled as a child. His father was a heavy drinker of cachaça, a problem Garrincha later inherited. Small for his age and carefree, he earned the nickname Garrincha from his sister, and by age four it stuck. Friends also called him Mané (short for Manuel), and the combined Mané Garrincha is common among Brazilian fans.

Despite his talent, Garrincha showed little interest in a professional career and did not enter professional football until his late teens. His younger brother, Jimmy dos Santos, played 20 games for Série A side Vasco da Gama in 1959.

Already married and a parent, Garrincha signed for Botafogo in 1953. Team officials were thrilled to find he was over 18 and could be treated as a professional. In his first training session, he dribbled the ball through the legs of Nílton Santos, a Brazilian international defender with 16 caps, who was so impressed he urged Botafogo to sign him. Garrincha played in a 5–0 win for the reserves and scored a hat trick on his first-team debut against Bonsucesso on 19 July 1953.

He played brilliantly but was left out of the 1954 World Cup squad due to other talented players in his position, like Julinho, and a new European team-based style. He helped Botafogo win the Campeonato Carioca in 1957, scoring 20 goals in 26 games (second in the league scoring charts), which secured his place in the 1958 World Cup squad.

After the 1962 World Cup, he returned to Rio and led Botafogo to the 1962 Campeonato Carioca final victory over Flamengo. He spent 12 years at Botafogo, winning the Campeonato Carioca three times, scoring 232 goals in 581 matches, and becoming a club symbol. In 1966, as his career declined, he was sold to Corinthians. Two years later, he signed for Colombian side Atlético Junior, then returned to Brazil to join Flamengo until 1969. In 1971, at 38, rumors linked him to French club Red Star, but he never signed and stayed in Brazil.

Known for his dribbling, Garrincha inspired the first olé chants in football during a 1958 club game for Botafogo against River Plate defender Vairo. He constantly teased and feinted past him, drawing olés from the crowd, and once "forgot" the ball, sprinting away as Vairo chased him, turning the chants into laughter. His professional career ended in 1972 with Olaria, though he played occasional exhibition matches until 1982.

Rich European clubs repeatedly tried to sign him: Juventus in 1954, Real Madrid in 1959 after a European tour, and in 1963, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Juventus considered a unique joint deal where he would spend a season with each.

Internationally, Garrincha earned 50 caps for Brazil between 1955 and 1966, playing in three World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966). Brazil lost only one match with him on the pitch—against Hungary in 1966, his final appearance. His first cap was against Chile in Rio de Janeiro in 1955. He also played two matches at the 1957 Copa América and four in the 1959 edition.