Garrincha
The wren who danced past defenders and lifted Brazil to glory.
Manuel Francisco dos Santos (28 October 1933 – 20 January 1983), nicknamed Mané Garrincha, best known as simply Garrincha, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a right winger. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and by many, one of the greatest dribblers ever.
Quick Facts
- National team caps
- 50
- Primary club
- Botafogo
- Position
- Right Winger; Attacking Midfielder
- Nickname
- The Joy of the People
Lore & Background
Garrincha played a vital role in Brazil's 1958 and 1962 World Cup victories. In 1962, when Pelé was injured, Garrincha led Brazil to a World Cup victory with a dominating performance throughout the tournament. He was named in the World Cup All-Star Teams of both 1958 and 1962. In 1994, he was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team. Brazil never lost a match while fielding both Garrincha and Pelé. In 1999, he came 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. Due to his immense popularity in Brazil, he was also called Alegria do Povo (People's Joy) and Anjo de Pernas Tortas (Bent-Legged Angel). At club level, Garrincha played the majority of his professional career for the Brazilian team Botafogo. In the Maracanã Stadium, the home team room is known as 'Garrincha'. In the capital Brasília, the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha is named after him. He is credited for inspiring the first bullfighting chants of olé to be used at football grounds.
Reader's Guide
Garrincha was born in Pau Grande, a district of Magé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in 1933. He was born with his right leg 6 centimetres shorter than his left, also his left leg turned outwards and his right turned inwards, leading one doctor to certify him as crippled as a child. His father was an alcoholic, a problem which Garrincha would inherit. He earned the nickname Garrincha (meaning 'wren') from his sister. Garrincha was known amongst footballing scouts, but did not arrive in professional football until his late teens; he had no interest in a professional career despite his immense talent. He signed for Botafogo in 1953. In his first training session, he demonstrated his extraordinary skills by dribbling the ball through the legs of Nílton Santos. He played in a 5–0 win for Botafogo's reserves and then scored a hat trick on his first-team début against Bonsucesso on 19 July 1953. He helped Botafogo win the Campeonato Carioca in 1957 by scoring 20 goals in 26 games. After the 1962 World Cup, Garrincha carried Botafogo to victory in the 1962 Campeonato Carioca final against Flamengo. He played for Botafogo for 12 years, won the Campeonato Carioca three times with them, scored 232 goals in 581 matches. In 1966, he was sold to Corinthians. Two years later, he signed for Colombian team Atlético Junior. The same year, he went back to Brazil and joined Flamengo, where he would stay until 1969. In 1971, there were rumours that Garrincha, 38, would join French club Red Star, but he never signed and stayed in Brazil. Garrincha's professional career as a footballer lasted until 1972, when he played for Olaria. Garrincha played 50 international matches for Brazil between 1955 and 1966, appearing in three World Cups (1958, 1962, and 1966). Brazil lost only one match with him on the pitch—against Hungary in 1966, which was also his final appearance for the national team. His first cap was against Chile in Rio de Janeiro in 1955. He played two matches at the Copa América of 1957 and four in the 1959 edition; Brazil finished runners up in both editions.
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