Zico, formerly known as Artur Antunes Coimbra, was born on March 3, 1953 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a Portuguese immigrant football family whose father had been a goalkeeper, all three of zico's brothers were professional players, and his cousin often affectionately referred to him as "Arturzico", meaning little rooster Artur. Over time, his friends called him Zico.
At the age of 13, Zico entered the flamenco football school. At first, the coaches looked down on him a bit, thinking he looked "too small" – he was only 1.5 meters tall and weighed 37 kilograms. It is not possible to compare with Brazilian teenagers of the same age and not to be a footballer. But on the football field, Zico's performance was amazing, his dribbling skills, the speed of starting and sprinting, and the skill of the other children, far superior to other children. The doctors of the school were very appreciative of his potential and self-motivation, and specially developed a set of training methods and treatment programs for him, and in less than a year, Ziko grew five centimeters taller and gained more than 20 kilograms, and at the age of 14, he entered the flamenco junior team.
In 1973, at the age of 20, Zico was selected for the national team, and just as he was preparing for the World Cup qualifiers, the newly appointed coach Zagallo decided that the national team could not accept such young players, so Zico was regrouped. It was not until the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, when Medino took over as coach, that Zico was re-selected for the national team.
In the South American qualifiers held in Colombia, Brazil beat Bolivia 8-0, and Zico staged a senior four, causing a sensation in South American football. Fans consider Zico to be the star of hope for Pele's revitalization of Brazilian football after his retirement, and people also praise the youngster with "White Pele".
In that World Cup, Brazil qualified well in the group stage. After entering the second phase, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Poland were in the same group. In the showdown with his old rival Argentina, Zico was unfortunately injured and had to withdraw from the game. Ended his first World Cup.
After the World Cup, Zico's football talent was favored by major European teams, and many clubs lured him with heavy money. When the news came out, domestic fans were terrified, and the Brazilian Football Association and flamenco received a large number of protest calls and telegrams, claiming that "if Zico is sold, I want you to look good." The Brazilian Football Association and flamenco club categorically refused the foreign club's request for a purchase plan, and the first transfer storm was calmed.
In 1981, Brazil was the first to qualify for the World Cup in South America, and AC Milan bid $3.5 million to lure Zico to another move, once again causing a commotion in Brazil. An urgent survey by plaka magazine, 70% of fans believe that Zico's stay is not only about the future of flamenco, but also about the fate of Brazilian football as a whole. Many people are willing to donate money to keep Zico. The flamenco team carried out a donation campaign with the assistance of some large companies, and Brazilian President Figuere personally inquired about the matter. Many companies have helped each other, and a "Zico is ours" publicity campaign has been launched throughout the country. This moved Zicoda and eventually stayed in Brazil.
Of course, as a star, Zico is indeed worthy of the Brazilian's best protection. Technically, he is outstanding in technology, drifting position, wide vision, and a super free kick kung fu; the ability to pass the ball directly is excellent, it must be pointed out that Zico's passing behind the ball is not only pushed with the bow of the foot like many forwards, he can also use the instep of the foot to bounce, this way of passing is indeed very difficult, concealed and sudden. A typical no.10 player who can string the midfield together very well. To sum up, you can understand him as a breakthrough-enhanced Platini.
Statistically, Zico played for flamenco for 16 years, playing 650 games and scoring a staggering 630 goals, knowing that he is not a striker. In 1980 he won the Brazilian national championship for Flamengo, scoring 21 goals in 18 matches, being named the top scorer, and the following year winning the Copa Libertadores. In the match against The European powerhouse Liverpool, Zico scored two goals and won 3-0 to win the Toyota Cup. In 1977, 1981 and 1982, Zico was also named the best star in the Americas three times. At the same time, the only star that could match him was Germany's Rummenigge, and the "New Caesar" won the European Golden Globe Award in 1980 and 1981 (Platini's honorary period was two years late).
How popular Zike was that year, the name of The Chinese Olympic champion Zhang Jike came from because of him - Zhang Jike's father originally wanted to train him to be a football player, and Jike was also taken from the harmonic sound of Zike. However, in the qualified group stage of the World Cup and Yemen, the national football team lost the game, so his father did not let Zhang Jike play football and played table tennis instead.
So, for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, the Zico generation was determined to win, and that was the most magnificent Brazilian team.
Here's a wonderful comment from a netizen:
82 World Cup, the second favorite: West Germany, the team won the European Championship in 80 years, the best squad after the game 11 people west Germany occupied 6 seats, and even Arlos, who won the top scorer of the competition, was squeezed out of the best team by his compatriots Gerubesch and Rummenigge. At the same time, the top two of the 1980 European Ballon d'Or and the top three of the 1981 European Ballon d'Or were all won by the West Germans, and in the European qualifiers of the 82nd World Cup, the West Germans set a magical record of 8 wins at home and away and a goal difference of up to 30 goals. But why is it that such a tough West German team can only be relegated to the second favorite? Just because there is Brazil.
Since Santana took over in 1980, the world's enthusiastic pursuit of Brazil has come from the performance of various friendly matches, invitational tournaments and warm-up matches that Brazil has participated in in those two years, and this team has only won the first place in the group of the 82 World Cup South American qualifiers in the official competition, but that is only a victory over Venezuela and Bolivia, so why is the football community, the media, fans and bookmakers unanimously optimistic about him?
First of all, there is the dominance of the game scene. If west Germany only has a good record and is not strong in the game, then Santana's Brazilian team is not only winning but also winning beautifully. Before the World Cup, after easily qualifying, they traveled to Europe to challenge the major teams and won like a "clearance": 1:0 small victory over the Three Lions England team, 3:1 to bring in France led by Platini, 1:0 to defeat the host Spain team, 2:1 to defeat the strongest German team in Europe. In the fierce battles of the series, the team showed both a silky smooth whole and a personal ability like a stellar explosion, which greatly fascinated the arrogant Europeans.
Secondly, there are superstars, and the team is filled with many master players. Let's see, in addition to Zico, what kind of cards does Santana have in his hand?
Socrates, a passionate nationalist, a master player with a doctorate in medicine, looked like a wise man and played in the same style. No one has ever questioned Socrates' technique. He can appear anywhere on the pitch, either dragging his feet and cruising on both sides, sometimes suddenly plugging in from his ribs and delivering a fatal blow. Watching him play football is like watching an artist perform gracefully. He controlled the rhythm of the team's attack and was called the "brain" of this Brazilian team.
"Doctor of Football" Socrates
Falcao is a talented player who has created an artistic back-down style of play, and he has taken on the responsibility of the team's attack and defense alone. He drove the game with very little running and was the heart of that Brazilian team's midfield. Known as the "Eighth King of Rome" by Roma fans, he was also the Brazilian Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979.
Falcao is the highest achiever in Europe in the Midfield Iron Triangle
Serezzo is also a defensive midfielder, although the concept of defensive midfielder is not the same as in the eyes of Europeans in this final. Essentially, Serezzo is a drag-and-drop organizational core with excellent passing skills. He was perfectly capable of covering the entire pitch with his running.
They hold high the offensive flag and play the most artistic, most beautiful football. There are wins and losses, there is strategy, and Santana interprets it as football as a show, a show. If the Brazilian team in 1970 was the most powerful, then the Brazilian team in 1982 was the most artistic, not only the outside world was unanimously optimistic about the Brazilian team, but even the Brazilians themselves felt that the championship would not slip away.
At the 1982 Fifa World Cup, Brazil won all three games in the first group stage, and in the 2-1 win over Scotland, Zico scored a direct free-kick. In the 4-0 sweep of New Zealand, Zico received a pass from Leondro and volleyed the side hook to score, and the stands were boiling, instantly turning into a yellow ocean. Such goals may seem commonplace today, but they were amazing 40 years ago. But due to the lack of that kind of brown candy-style sticky defensive player, it is easy to form a big hole when there is a defensive mistake. In addition, Brazilian players are also too confident in their own footwork, and they also like to use various footwork to cross the line in the midfield. These bad habits were important reasons for the later loss to Italy.
In the second stage of the group stage, Brazil defeated their old rival Argentina 3-1, and the next match only needs to draw with Italy to reach the semi-finals. However, the light rival Brazil was scored three goals by Rossi, which ended the World Cup journey unbelievably. Rossi's sudden outburst withered the Artistic Brazilian team, and the abrupt suffocation of the Brazilian people collapsed, as if they had returned to July 16, 1950, the afternoon that had broken countless hearts, Maracanã.
Zico said that on this day, the football died. He and Falcao and Socrates were talented, but they lost in overconfidence and contempt for their opponents. The Brazilian nation was furious, and Zico also left Brazil to join the Italian team Udinese, but less than a year Later, Zico returned to flamenco. In 1986, at the age of 33, Zico traveled to Mexico to make his last fight for Brazil.
The quarter-final between Brazil and France is the most magnificent and glamorous battle in the history of the World Cup. The Samba Legion won the penalty in the second half, and Zico was on the verge of taking the penalty, but fate and revenge, Zico's shot was saved by French goalkeeper Bartz, a goal that left an unforgettable shadow in his football career. In the end, Brazil lost in the penalty shootout and once again stopped in the quarterfinals.
Zico was heartbroken after the game, and his defeat was not only his personal World Cup tragedy, but also the World Cup tragedy of that generation of Brazilian art football masters and others.
Although he has won countless victories, but has not won a world championship, these achievements do not give him relief, he participated in three World Cups, but only really lost one game, failed to win the success he deserved. Many people believe that if Zico has a World Cup, he will undoubtedly be the second generation of ball kings, because in terms of technology, he has already reached the peak, and is the only person who plays the ball king with the physical quality of passers-by, relying on unparalleled technology and ball quotient. (You can understand him as Messi with a weakened breakthrough ability and a strengthened organizational ability)
On March 28, 1989, Zico held a farewell match in Udine, Italy, and announced his retirement. After retiring from his retirement, Zico served as Brazil's Minister of Sports and Director General of the Brazilian National Sports Countermeasures Bureau. Zico has since served as head coach for many countries and clubs, and is currently the technical director of Kashima Antlers. Zico is rumored to be leaving at the end of the season and is expected to return to Brazil.
Note that this is not a recent photo, and now Zico has been blessed