Rondinelli

The God of Determination who anchored Flamengo's defense.

Antônio José Rondinelli Tobias, usually known as Rondinelli (born April 26, 1954 in São José do Rio Pardo, São Paulo), is a retired professional association footballer who played as a central defender.

Quick Facts

Full name: Antônio José Rondinelli Tobias
Born: 26 April 1954
Birthplace: São José do Rio Pardo, Brazil
Position: Central defender

Lore & Background

Rondinelli started his career playing for Flamengo, where he played 394 matches and scored 14 goals from 1974 to 1981, winning the Campeonato Carioca in 1974, 1978, and the two 1979 championships, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 1980. In 1978, he won the Placar's Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Bola de Prata award. While playing for Flamengo, he was nicknamed Deus da Raça ('God of Determination') by the club's supporters, due to his will to win.

He played three unofficial matches for the Brazil national team: one in 1979 against the Bahia State Combined Team, and two in 1980 against the Brazil Youth Team and the Minas Gerais State Combined Team, drawing the first match and winning the other two. After retiring, he managed Vila Nova and CFZ do Rio. He opened a football academy in his home city, São José do Rio Pardo, named Deus da Raça. In 2003, a documentary titled O Deus da Raça (English: Our God) was released, directed and written by Felipe Nepomuceno and Pedro Asbeg, produced by Raça Filmes.

Reader's Guide

Rondinelli is a retired central defender best known for his time at Flamengo from 1974 to 1981, where he won multiple state and national titles and earned the nickname Deus da Raça. He played three unofficial matches for Brazil and later managed clubs including Vila Nova and CFZ do Rio.