Os Santásticos
Encyclopedia
Os Santásticos is the nickname for the group of Santos Futebol Clube
players coached by Lula
and Antoninho
that won a total of 22 titles between 1959 to 1974, including two Copa Libertadores. Often considered one of the strongest teams ever assembled in any sport, it defeated its opponents by an average of more than four goals per match. Also known as O Balé Branco (u baˈlɛ ˈbɾɐ̃ku, The White Ballet) or Time dos Sonhos (ˈtʃĩmi dus ˈsõɲus, Dream Team), they dominated Brazilian football and became a symbol of Joga Bonito thanks to figures such as Gilmar, Mauro
, Mengálvio
, Coutinho, Pepe
and the iconic Pelé
.
took Pelé to Santos
, an industrial and port city in the state of São Paulo
, to try out for professional club Santos Futebol Clube
telling the directors at Santos that the 15-year-old would be "the greatest football player in the world." Santos were at the time the top team in São Paulo, having just won two consecutive State champions when Pelé joined.
Aged 15, Pelé made his debut for Santos on 7 September 1956, scoring one goal in a 7–1 friendly victory over Corinthians de Santo André. When the 1957 season started, Pelé was given a starting place in the first team and, at the age of just 16, became the top scorer in the league. Just ten months after signing professionally, the teenager was called up to the Brazil national team
. After the World Cup in 1962
, wealthy European clubs such as Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United tried to sign the young player, but the government of Brazil declared Pelé an "official national treasure" to prevent him from being transferred out of the country.
Pelé won his first major title with Santos in 1958 as the team won the Campeonato Paulista
; Pelé would finish the tournament as top scorer with an incredible 58 goals, a record that stands today. A year later, O Rei would help the team earn their first victory in the Torneio Rio-São Paulo
with a 3–0 over Vasco da Gama. However, Santos was unable to retain the Paulista title.
that same year, crushing Bahia
in the finals; Pelé finished as top scorer of the tournament with 9 goals. The victory allowed Santos to participate in the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club tournament in the Western hemisphere. In March 1961, Pelé scored the gol de placa (goal worthy of a plaque), against Fluminense
at the Maracanã. Pelé received the ball on the edge of his own penalty area, and ran the length of the field, eluding opposition players, and fired the ball beyond the goalkeeper. The goal was regarded as being so spectacular that a plaque was commissioned with a dedication to the most beautiful goal in the history of the Maracanã.
and Deportivo Municipal
, winning every match of their group but one (a 1–1 away tie vs Cerro), with Pelé scoring his first goal in a brace against Cerro. Santos defeated Universidad Católica
in the semifinals and met defending champions Peñarol
in the finals in which Pelé scored another brace in the playoff match to secure the first title for a Brazilian club. Pelé finished as the second best scorer of the competition with 4 goals. That same year, Santos would defend, with success, the Campeonato Paulista (with 37 goals from Pelé), the Taça Brasil (Pelé scoring four goals in the final series against Botafogo), and win the 1962 Intercontinental Cup
against Benfica. Wearing his iconic number 10 shirt, Pelé produced one of his best ever performances and scored a hat-trick
in Lisbon, as Santos beat the European champions 5–2.
. Santos won again the Campeonato Paulista, with Pelé netting 34 goals. The club also shared the Rio-São Paulo title with Botafogo and win the Taça Brasil for the fourth consecutive year. The Santistas would try to resurge in 1965 by winning, for the 9th time, the Campeonato Paulista and the Taça Brasil. In the 1965 Copa Libertadores, Santos started convincingly by winning every match of their group in the first round. In the semifinals, Santos met Peñarol in a rematch of the 1962 final. After two legendary matches, a playoff was needed to break the tie. Unlike 1962, Peñarol came out on top and eliminated Santos 2–1. Pelé would, however, finish as the topscorer of the tournament with eight goals.
(led by Tostão
) in the final series. Although Santos won the Campeonato Paulista in 1967, 1968 and 1969, Pelé became less and less a contributing factor to the Santistas now-limited success.
, when Pelé scored from a penalty kick
, at the Maracanã
Stadium.
Pelé states that his most beautiful goal was scored at Rua Javari stadium
on a Campeonato Paulista
match against São Paulo rival Juventus
on 2 August 1959. As there is no video footage of this match, Pelé asked that a computer animation be made of this specific goal. In 1967, the two factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War
agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire
so they could watch Pelé play an exhibition game
in Lagos
.
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....
players coached by Lula
Luís Alonso Pérez
Luís Alonso Pérez, also known as Lula was a Brazilian football manager who managed Santos from 1954 to 1966. He joined Corinthians in 1968...
and Antoninho
Antoninho
Antônio Fernandes, also known as Antoninho , was a Brazilian professional football player and manager. He was nicknamed O arquiteto da bola after São Paulo's victorious campaign in the Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais in 1952...
that won a total of 22 titles between 1959 to 1974, including two Copa Libertadores. Often considered one of the strongest teams ever assembled in any sport, it defeated its opponents by an average of more than four goals per match. Also known as O Balé Branco (u baˈlɛ ˈbɾɐ̃ku, The White Ballet) or Time dos Sonhos (ˈtʃĩmi dus ˈsõɲus, Dream Team), they dominated Brazilian football and became a symbol of Joga Bonito thanks to figures such as Gilmar, Mauro
Mauro Ramos
Mauro Ramos, full name Mauro Ramos de Oliveira, was an association footballer. He played centre-back for São Paulo F.C., Santos F.C. and the Brazilian national team....
, Mengálvio
Mengálvio Pedro Figueiró
Mengálvio Pedro Figueiró , nicknamed Mengálvio, is a former Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder.He earned 13 caps and scored 1 goal for the Brazil national football team...
, Coutinho, Pepe
José Macia
Pepe, real name José Macia, is a former association footballer and manager. He was left winger for Santos F.C. and the Brazilian national team...
and the iconic Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
.
The beginning
In 1956, Waldemar de BritoWaldemar de Brito
Waldemar de Brito was a Brazilian footballer, who played for several clubs in Brazil and Argentina, as well as for the Brazil national team. He is acknowledged to have discovered Pelé during the latter's early footballing days...
took Pelé to Santos
Santos (São Paulo)
-Sister cities: Shimonoseki, Japan Nagasaki, Japan Funchal, Portugal Trieste, Italy Coimbra, Portugal Ansião, Portugal Arouca, Portugal Ushuaia, Argentina Havana, Cuba Taizhou. China Ningbo. China Constanţa, Romania Ulsan, South Korea Colón, Panama* Cadiz, Spain...
, an industrial and port city in the state of São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
, to try out for professional club Santos Futebol Clube
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....
telling the directors at Santos that the 15-year-old would be "the greatest football player in the world." Santos were at the time the top team in São Paulo, having just won two consecutive State champions when Pelé joined.
Aged 15, Pelé made his debut for Santos on 7 September 1956, scoring one goal in a 7–1 friendly victory over Corinthians de Santo André. When the 1957 season started, Pelé was given a starting place in the first team and, at the age of just 16, became the top scorer in the league. Just ten months after signing professionally, the teenager was called up to the Brazil national team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. After the World Cup in 1962
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...
, wealthy European clubs such as Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United tried to sign the young player, but the government of Brazil declared Pelé an "official national treasure" to prevent him from being transferred out of the country.
Pelé won his first major title with Santos in 1958 as the team won the Campeonato Paulista
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
; Pelé would finish the tournament as top scorer with an incredible 58 goals, a record that stands today. A year later, O Rei would help the team earn their first victory in the Torneio Rio-São Paulo
Torneio Rio-São Paulo
Torneio Rio – São Paulo was a traditional Brazilian football competition contested between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro teams until from 1935 until 2002....
with a 3–0 over Vasco da Gama. However, Santos was unable to retain the Paulista title.
1961: Brazilian champions
In 1960, Pelé scored 33 goals to help his team regain the Campeonato Paulista trophy but lost out on the Rio-São Paulo tournament after finishing in a disappointing 8th place. Another 47 goals from Pelé saw Santos retain the Campeonato Paulista. The club went on to win the Taça BrasilTaça Brasil
The Taça Brasil was a Brazilian national football competition which was contested from 1959 to 1968. It is considered by many historians the most important football tournament in Brazil at the time and is compared, in importance level, to the current Campeonato Brasileiro.Bahia, Cruzeiro and...
that same year, crushing Bahia
Esporte Clube Bahia
Esporte Clube Bahia , known familiarly as Bahiaço, is a Brazilian professional football club, based in Salvador, Bahia. They play in the Campeonato Baiano, Bahia's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Brazil's national league. Bahia was a founding member of the Clube dos 13 group...
in the finals; Pelé finished as top scorer of the tournament with 9 goals. The victory allowed Santos to participate in the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club tournament in the Western hemisphere. In March 1961, Pelé scored the gol de placa (goal worthy of a plaque), against 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,...
at the Maracanã. Pelé received the ball on the edge of his own penalty area, and ran the length of the field, eluding opposition players, and fired the ball beyond the goalkeeper. The goal was regarded as being so spectacular that a plaque was commissioned with a dedication to the most beautiful goal in the history of the Maracanã.
1962: The first treble in the world
Santos' most successful club season started in 1962; the team was seeded in Group 1 alongside Cerro PorteñoCerro Porteño
Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 28 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football club in Paraguay...
and Deportivo Municipal
Deportivo Municipal
Deportivo Municipal may refer to several different sports clubs:* Club Social y Deportivo Municipal, a football club from Guatemala* Club Deportivo Municipal a football club from Peru* Club Deportivo Municipal de Huamanga a football club from Peru...
, winning every match of their group but one (a 1–1 away tie vs Cerro), with Pelé scoring his first goal in a brace against Cerro. Santos defeated Universidad Católica
Club Deportivo Universidad Católica
Club Deportivo Universidad Católica is a professional football club based in Santiago, Chile, which plays in the Primera División.Universidad Católica is one of the most successful and popular football clubs in Chile and considered one of the three "big teams"...
in the semifinals and met defending champions Peñarol
C.A. Peñarol
Club Atlético Peñarol also known as Carboneros, Aurinegros and familiarly as Manya, is an Uruguayan sports club based in the Peñarol barrio, Montevideo, best known for its professional football team. The team plays their home matches in Estadio Centenario, the largest stadium in the country, but...
in the finals in which Pelé scored another brace in the playoff match to secure the first title for a Brazilian club. Pelé finished as the second best scorer of the competition with 4 goals. That same year, Santos would defend, with success, the Campeonato Paulista (with 37 goals from Pelé), the Taça Brasil (Pelé scoring four goals in the final series against Botafogo), and win the 1962 Intercontinental Cup
1962 Intercontinental Cup
The 1962 Intercontinental Cup was a football tie held over two legs between Santos, winners of the 1962 Copa Libertadores, and Benfica, winners of the 1961–62 European Cup...
against Benfica. Wearing his iconic number 10 shirt, Pelé produced one of his best ever performances and scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in Lisbon, as Santos beat the European champions 5–2.
1963-1965: Pentacampeão
Santos tried to defend their title again in 1964 but they were thoroughly beaten in both legs of the semifinals by IndependienteClub Atlético Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente is an Argentine athletic, sports and social club, which has its headquarters and stadium in the city of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División....
. Santos won again the Campeonato Paulista, with Pelé netting 34 goals. The club also shared the Rio-São Paulo title with Botafogo and win the Taça Brasil for the fourth consecutive year. The Santistas would try to resurge in 1965 by winning, for the 9th time, the Campeonato Paulista and the Taça Brasil. In the 1965 Copa Libertadores, Santos started convincingly by winning every match of their group in the first round. In the semifinals, Santos met Peñarol in a rematch of the 1962 final. After two legendary matches, a playoff was needed to break the tie. Unlike 1962, Peñarol came out on top and eliminated Santos 2–1. Pelé would, however, finish as the topscorer of the tournament with eight goals.
1966: A forgetable season
In 1966, Pelé and Santos also failed to retain the Taça Brasil as O Reis goals weren't enough to prevent a 9–4 routing by CruzeiroCruzeiro Esporte Clube
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube is a Brazilian football team, from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Internacional. Founded on January 2, 1921, they are only one of three clubs to have participated in...
(led by Tostão
Tostão
Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade , better known as Tostão, is a former Brazilian footballer, who played as a forward. In his prime, he was considered one of the best offensive players in the world, while also contributing with many assists thanks to his passing abilities.-Football career:Born in Belo...
) in the final series. Although Santos won the Campeonato Paulista in 1967, 1968 and 1969, Pelé became less and less a contributing factor to the Santistas now-limited success.
1967-1969: Rejuvenation of the Balé Branco
On 19 November 1969, Pelé scored his 1000th goal in all competitions. This was a highly anticipated moment in Brazil. The goal, called popularly O Milésimo (The Thousandth), occurred in a match against Vasco da GamaClub de Regatas Vasco da Gama
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama |Rowing Club]]), usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a famous and traditional Brazilian multisports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898...
, when Pelé scored from a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
, at the Maracanã
Estádio do Maracanã
The Estádio do Maracanã , officially Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, is an open-air stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Owned by the Rio de Janeiro State Government, it is named after the Maracanã neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. It was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup, and in the final...
Stadium.
Estádio Rua Javari
Estádio Conde Rodolfo Crespi, usually known as Estádio Rua Javari, is a multi-use stadium located in São Paulo's Mooca neighborhood, Brazil. It is used mostly for football matches and hosts the home games of Clube Atlético Juventus, which is also the stadium's owner, and hosted the games of Pão de...
on a Campeonato Paulista
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
match against São Paulo rival Juventus
Clube Atlético Juventus
The Clube Atlético Juventus , usually known simply as Juventus, is a Brazilian football club based in Mooca, a São Paulo neighborhood...
on 2 August 1959. As there is no video footage of this match, Pelé asked that a computer animation be made of this specific goal. In 1967, the two factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
so they could watch Pelé play an exhibition game
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
.
See also
- Brazilian national football teamBrazil national football teamThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
- Contribution to the Brazilian national football teamSantos FC and the Brazilian national football teamSantos Futebol Clube is a Brazilian professional football club, based in Santos, Brazil. They play in the Campeonato Paulista, São Paulo's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão, Brazil's national league, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated,...
Filmography
- Aníbal Massaini Neto, Pelé Eterno, 2004.
- Carlos Hugo Christensen, O Rei Pelé, 1963.
- Eduardo Escorel and Luiz Carlos Barreto, Isto é Pelé, 1974.
- Mercado Livre, Santos, Especial, 2011.
- Paulo Machline, Uma história de futebol, 1998.