Nílton Santos

Brazilian left-back known as A Enciclopédia for his complete style.

Nílton dos Santos, a Brazilian left-back born in 1925 and died in 2013, won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Known as "The Encyclopedia" for his complete style and deep football knowledge, he is considered one of the game's greatest defenders. Pelé named him to the FIFA 100 in 2004, and he was selected for the World Team of the 20th Century. In 2009, he received the Golden Foot Legends Award. He was not related to fellow defender Djalma Santos.

Quick Facts

Full name: Nílton dos Santos
Born: 16 May 1925
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Died: 27 November 2013
Height: 1.84 m / 6 ft
Position: Left-back

Facts from the source article.

Did You Know?

Santos played all his professional club career for Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.
He once said: 'I have never envied today's players the money but the freedom they have, to go forward'.
He was the last surviving member of the Brazil 1950 FIFA World Cup squad.

International career

Nílton Santos was a key defensive player in the 1954, 1958 and 1962 World Cup finals, and was also in the Brazilian squad for the 1950 finals without making any appearances. He scored a famous goal in the 1958 tournament against Austria, dribbling through the whole field and finishing with a shot that his coach Vicente Feola had been urging him to retreat from. He collected 75 caps and scored 3 goals for Brazil.

Legacy

Nílton Santos played his entire professional career for Botafogo, where he made 723 appearances and scored 11 goals. The club calls him "A Enciclopédia do Futebol," a nickname FIFA also uses to highlight his tactical intelligence and positional mastery. Botafogo's home stadium, the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos (commonly called Engenhão), bears his name. Built for the 2007 Pan American Games, it became Botafogo's home that year and hosted athletics and football during the 2016 Summer Olympics.