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A great football mind passes on

   

Tele Santana

I am not Brazilian, I have not been to Brazil, and I don’t even speak Portuguese, but I love football and the way the Brazilian national team plays it.

I remember hearing Pele, Jairzinho, Tostão, and Rivelino’s names when I was a kid as if they were Iranians. When I learned that Pele was not an Iranian, I was so upset that pouted for days.

I remember most of my older friends wanted to be Rivelino or Carlos Alberto whenever they played. But the generation of Brazilian footballers whom I idolized was that of the 1982 squad. I loved watching Junior dominate attackers who dared into his territory on the left defensive side, and then join Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Cerezo, and Eder to build an attack. When they crashed against Italy, I was so upset that I almost refused to watch the rest of the World Cup.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, because the man who put that team together died today.

Tele Santana passed away at the age of 74.

I am not lying to you when I say that I am typing these words with knot in my throat.

In times when many coaches were primarily concerning themselves with defense, and selling out to anti-football, he was a leading figure amongst a very elite group who held on to the attacking principals that made the Beautiful Game what it was.

He was once quoted as saying, “Football is art, it is enjoyment and it is not about hoofing the ball upfield. I’d rather lose the game than tell my team to foul, kick the opponents or win with an illegitimate goal.

Tele you will be missed.


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Comments
By stacy-marie | April 22nd, 2006 at 11:02 am
Top

Beautiful tribute!

“I’d rather lose the game than tell my team to foul, kick the opponents or win with an illegitimate goal.”

Let us hope all teams, managers and coaches take his words to heart this World Cup.

Posted from United Kingdom United Kingdom

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[...] A great football mind passes on. [...]

Posted from United States United States

By Euler | April 22nd, 2006 at 11:58 am
Top

Great words. It’s good to read things like that.

By Khosrow | June 19th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
Top

Salam,Hi i’m like you an iranian fun of 1982’s Brazilian team,i’m very sorry to know the news about Santana,he was the only man encouraging his players to play well and the only prevented them to commit foul!,i would like to have some pictures from 1982’s Brazilian stars and to know where they are now? could you help me .
Thanks four these great words

By Antonis Themelis | September 7th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
Top

The best team ever still lives in our memories and Tele was the one who offered us the moments of pleasure of the Jogo Bonito.

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