João Batista Nunes de Oliveira (born May 20, 1954 in Feira de Santana

Feira de Santana

Feira de Santana is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 700,000 according to IBGE's estimate. It is located 115 km northwest of Salvador, Bahia's capital city. These cities are connected by BR-324, a four-lane divided highway...

, BA

Bahia

Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...

) is a former Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 striker

Striker

Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

.

Nunes became a football player in 1969, at 14 years old, playing for Flamengo

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo , also known as Flamengo and familiarly as Mengão, is a Brazilian sports club based in the Flamengo bairro, Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro, best known for its professional football team...

's youth team. Reject by the club in 1974, at 19, he left Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

 towards Aracaju

Aracaju

-Vegetation:Aracaju lies in tropical forest. Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall, with minimum normal annual rainfall between 2,000 mm and 1,700 mm...

 (SE

Sergipe

Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...

) to start his professional career at Confiança

Associação Desportiva Confiança

Associação Desportiva Confiança, or Confiança as they are usually called, is a Brazilian football team from Aracaju in Sergipe, founded on May 1, 1936.Confiança's greatest rival is Sergipe....

. His good performances granted him the 1976 Sergipe State Championship

Campeonato Sergipano

The Campeonato Sergipano is the football league of the state of Sergipe, Brazil.-Format:Serie A-1Double round-robin, in which all teams play each other home-and-away games.The team with the most points is crowned the champion....

 and a transference to Santa Cruz FC

Santa Cruz Futebol Clube

Santa Cruz Futebol Clube, or simply Santa Cruz is a Brazilian football club in Recife, Pernambuco.-Early history:On February 3, 1914, eleven young men aging from 14 to 16 years founded a football society...

 in the same year. There he won twice the Pernambuco State Championship

Campeonato Pernambucano

The Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation....

 (1976, 1978).

In 1977 he had his first cap for Brazil and became a regular in the National Team. Due to an injury, he was not selected to play the 1978 FIFA World Cup

1978 FIFA World Cup

The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...

 which made him miserable. Just after the World Cup, recovered from the injury, he returned to Rio de Janeiro to sign with Fluminense

Fluminense Football Club

Fluminense Football Club is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in the beginning of the 20th century as a single-sport institution, Fluminense is today an umbrella organization for several teams in more than 16 different sport activities. The most popular endeavor of Fluminense,...

 but he stayed there only for a few months before signing with Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

's CF Monterrey

Club de Fútbol Monterrey

The Club de Fútbol Monterrey is a Mexican football club from Monterrey, Nuevo León, and the current champion of the CONCACAF Champions League. Founded on June 28, 1945, it is the oldest active team in the professional division from the northern part of Mexico....

.

Finally, in 1980, he transferred back to Flamengo to take part in a sensational team and make history as one of the most important forwards
in the club's history. Once there he won two Brazilian National Championships

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...

 (1980, 1982), the 1981 Libertadores Cup

Copa Libertadores de América

The Copa Santander Libertadores de América , known simply as the Copa Libertadores and originally known as the Copa Campeones de América , is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960...

 and the 1981 Intercontinental Cup

Intercontinental Cup (football)

The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...

.

In 1983 we went on a one-year-loan to Botafogo

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas , also known as Botafogo and familiarly as Estrela Solitária, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, best known for its football team. They play in the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro's state league, and the Campeonato...

 and in the following year he transferred from Flamengo to Náutico

Clube Náutico Capibaribe

Clube Náutico Capibaribe, also known as Náutico, is a Brazilian sports club, including a professional football team, in Recife, Pernambuco....

, where he won another Pernambuco State Championship (1985). He would briefly return to the Rio de Janeiro's club once again in 1987.

Nunes also played for Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

's Boavista

Boavista FC

Boavista Futebol Clube, commonly known as Boavista , is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Porto. Founded on 1 August 1903, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country, and currently plays in the third division...

, Santos FC

Santos Futebol Clube

Santos Futebol Clube is a Brazilian professional football club based in Santos, São Paulo They play in the Campeonato Paulista and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the highest professional leagues in São Paulo state and Brazil, respectively....

, Atlético Mineiro

Clube Atlético Mineiro

Clube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...

, Volta Redonda FC

Volta Redonda Futebol Clube

Volta Redonda Futebol Clube, Volta Redonda or simply by its nickname Voltaço, as they are usually called, is a Brazilian football team from Volta Redonda in Rio de Janeiro, founded on February 9, 1976....

 and El Salvador

El Salvador

El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

's Tiburones.

Nunes retired in 1993 after winning his 4th Pernambuco State Championship - the 3rd one playing for Santa Cruz.

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