The Brazlian legend

February 1954, in the Capital and largest City of the state of Para, Brazil, the world welcomed a footballing legend. On December 4^th 2011, in Brazil’s largest City, Sao Paulo we said goodbye.

Socrates was a great midfielder, great with through passes. His ability to read the game as well as his physical strength all led him to being one of the best players to grace the field. His career ranged for 30 years and through that time he played mostly in Brasil for Botafogo, Flamengo, Santos and Corinthians but also came to Europe with a brief spell at Fiorentina and he even made it to West Yorkshire, where he appeared one time for Garforth Town back in 2004.

Internationally he was capped by Brazil 60 times and scored 22 goals in a seven year spell from 1979 to 1986 in which he appeared in the two World Cups (1982 & 1986). Despite not being part of a Brazil World Cup winning side Socrates did enough to be inducted in the Brazilian Football Hall of Fame in 2008 as well as being named by Pele in the FIFA 100 in 2004. This was selected by Pele of the greatest living footballers and represented the 100th anniversary of the FIFA organisation rather than having the 100 top players (it actually lists 125).

He was a genius on the football pitch and pretty smart off it also. Socrates became a doctor of medicine while still playing and then after his football career was over he began to practise medicine. He was certainly an intelligent person but had his demons also and drank and smoked to excess. Recently Socrates had even said that he considered alcohol his companion.

Ironically he was actually working on a book with the World Cup returning to Brazil in 2014 and dies just two years short of another footballing genius who drank too much, George Best. Best died in November 2005 aged 59, Socrates in December 2011 aged 57. Whetheer you consider Best the Northern Irish Socrates, or Socrates the South American George Best, one thing is for sure, Heaven has one great midfield now! 

PA City boy