Sócrates
Encyclopedia
Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, MD
, (born 19 February 1954), more commonly known simply as Sócrates, is a Brazilian former association footballer.
Sócrates was an wonderful technical playmaker, known for great through passes and his vision on the field. He was also a two-footed player and a prolific goal scorer. His ability to read the game was highly valued, and his signature move was the blind heel pass.
Sócrates played for, and captained, Brazil
in the 1982 World Cup
. However, Edinho
replaced him as captain for the 1986 FIFA World Cup
with Socrates playing as a regular midfielder. He began playing football professionally in 1974 for Botafogo
in Ribeirão Preto, but spent the majority of his career (1978 to 1984) with Corinthians
in São Paulo. During his time there he co-founded the Corinthians Democracy
movement. Sócrates and his team mates protested against the regime's treatment of footballers, and showed support to the wider movement for democratisation, by wearing shirts with 'Democracia' written on them during games. Sócrates has stated that his childhood heroes were Fidel Castro
, Che Guevara
and John Lennon
.
Sócrates was capped sixty times for Brazil between May 1979 and June 1986. He also played for Italian club Fiorentina
and the Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Santos
towards the end of his career.
In 2004, more than a decade after retiring, Sócrates agreed to a one month player-coaching deal with Garforth Town of the Northern Counties East Football League
in England. He made his only appearance for the club on 20 November 2004 against Tadcaster Albion, coming on as a substitute
twelve minutes from time.
Pelé
named him as one of the Top 125 Living Footballers
in March 2004, and World Soccer
named him one of 100 best footballers in history, in spite of the fact that he never won any medal at World Cups
.
In October 2008, Sócrates was inducted into the Pacembu Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.
He presently works as a practitioner of sports medicine
in Ribeirão Preto.
Sócrates is a doctor of medicine
, a rare achievement for a professional footballer (he is a graduate of the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto
). Even rarer is the fact that he earned the degree while concurrently playing professional football.
He is also noted for being an intellectual, a heavy drinker and smoker, and for his height (193 cm, 6 ft 4 in). His brother Raí
was a member of the Brazilian national team that won the World Cup
in 1994
and played for São Paulo
and for Paris St. Germain.
Sócrates was admitted to intensive care in the Albert Einstein Hospital
in Sao Paulo on 19th August 2011 with gastrointestinal bleeding
secondary to portal hypertension
.
. The rumour gained some credibility following articles in several newspapers confirming it, in one case even citing a confirmation by a named source within the Football Association of Ireland
. The story is, however, a complete fabrication and has been debunked in other newspaper articles and denied by University College Dublin A.F.C.
.
|1973||rowspan="6"|Botafogo-SP
||||0||0|||||||||||||0||0|
|-
|1974||||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1975||||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976
||rowspan="3"|Série A
||19||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977
||16||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978
||22||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978
||rowspan="7"|Corinthians
||Série A
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979||||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980
||rowspan="5"|Série A
||16||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981
||1||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982
||9||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983
||20||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984
||13||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85
||Fiorentina
||Serie A
||25||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1985
||rowspan="3"|Flamengo
||rowspan="3"|Série A
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1986
||11||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988
||Santos
||Série A
||5||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989||Botafogo-SP
||||0||0||||||||||||||||
132||70||||||||||||||||
25||6||||||||||||||||
157||76||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979||6||5
|-
|1980||8||2
|-
|1981||15||6
|-
|1982||9||4
|-
|1983||8||2
|-
|1984||0||0
|-
|1985||5||1
|-
|1986||9||2
|-
!Total||60||22
|}
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, (born 19 February 1954), more commonly known simply as Sócrates, is a Brazilian former association footballer.
Sócrates was an wonderful technical playmaker, known for great through passes and his vision on the field. He was also a two-footed player and a prolific goal scorer. His ability to read the game was highly valued, and his signature move was the blind heel pass.
Career
Socrates was born in Belém do Pará.Sócrates played for, and captained, Brazil
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...
in the 1982 World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
. However, Edinho
Edinho
Edinho is a Portuguese surname.It may refer to these Brazilian footballers:*Edison Edwin Cândido de Oliveira *Edson Cholbi Nascimento son of football legend Pelé*Edimo Ferreira Campos...
replaced him as captain for the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
with Socrates playing as a regular midfielder. He began playing football professionally in 1974 for Botafogo
Botafogo Futebol Clube (SP)
Botafogo Futebol Clube is a Brazilian association football club based in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, founded on November 12, 1918. The club currently competes in the Campeonato Paulista Série A1, alongside the great clubs of the state, and in the Copa Paulista de Futebol.- History :In the...
in Ribeirão Preto, but spent the majority of his career (1978 to 1984) with Corinthians
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, commonly just known as Corinthians , is a Brazilian football club based in the city of São Paulo. They play in the São Paulo state league, as well as the Brasileirão, Brazil's top national league...
in São Paulo. During his time there he co-founded the Corinthians Democracy
Corinthians Democracy
The Corinthians' Democracy was an ideological movement and an innovative way to manage a club, recognized in Brazil as one of the most important actions in the intend to struggle against dictatorship and the only movement of this nature installed on a football club known to this day...
movement. Sócrates and his team mates protested against the regime's treatment of footballers, and showed support to the wider movement for democratisation, by wearing shirts with 'Democracia' written on them during games. Sócrates has stated that his childhood heroes were Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
and John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
.
Sócrates was capped sixty times for Brazil between May 1979 and June 1986. He also played for Italian club Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
and the Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Santos
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....
towards the end of his career.
In 2004, more than a decade after retiring, Sócrates agreed to a one month player-coaching deal with Garforth Town of the Northern Counties East Football League
Northern Counties East Football League
The Northern Counties East Football League is an English football league that was founded in 1982 by the merger of the former Yorkshire League and Midland League. The league has two divisions at present; The Premier Division and Division One which stand at the ninth and tenth levels of the football...
in England. He made his only appearance for the club on 20 November 2004 against Tadcaster Albion, coming on as a substitute
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
twelve minutes from time.
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...
named him as one of the Top 125 Living Footballers
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
in March 2004, and World Soccer
World Soccer
World Soccer may refer to:*World Soccer Magazine*World Soccer, a game for the Sega Master System-See also:*Football around the world, a listing of all international teams*World Soccer Daily, a U.S. based soccer radio show and podcast...
named him one of 100 best footballers in history, in spite of the fact that he never won any medal at World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.
In October 2008, Sócrates was inducted into the Pacembu Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.
He presently works as a practitioner of sports medicine
Sports medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise...
in Ribeirão Preto.
Personal life
Sócrates lives in Ribeirão Preto with his wife and six children. He is a columnist for a number of newspapers and magazines, writing not only about sports, but also politics and economics. He frequently appears on Brazilian TV programmes as a football pundit. Sócrates is currently writing a fiction book about the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.Sócrates is a doctor of medicine
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, a rare achievement for a professional footballer (he is a graduate of the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto
Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto
Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto is a medical school of the University of São Paulo located in the city of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil, founded 1952...
). Even rarer is the fact that he earned the degree while concurrently playing professional football.
He is also noted for being an intellectual, a heavy drinker and smoker, and for his height (193 cm, 6 ft 4 in). His brother Raí
Raí
Raí, full name Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira is a former Brazilian football midfielder. He was part of the Brazil team which won 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also played for São Paulo FC when he had the most glorious time of his career, and Paris Saint-Germain, two clubs for which he has achieved...
was a member of the Brazilian national team that won the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and played for São Paulo
São Paulo Futebol Clube
São Paulo Futebol Clube , commonly known as São Paulo, is a professional football club based in São Paulo, 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...
and for Paris St. Germain.
Sócrates was admitted to intensive care in the Albert Einstein Hospital
Albert Einstein Hospital
The Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein is one of the most important Brazilian hospitals, located in the Morumbi district, west zone of São Paulo city, Brazil....
in Sao Paulo on 19th August 2011 with gastrointestinal bleeding
Gastrointestinal bleeding
Gastrointestinal bleeding or gastrointestinal hemorrhage describes every form of hemorrhage in the gastrointestinal tract, from the pharynx to the rectum. It has diverse causes, and a medical history, as well as physical examination, generally distinguishes between the main forms...
secondary to portal hypertension
Portal hypertension
In medicine, portal hypertension is hypertension in the portal vein and its tributaries.It is often defined as a portal pressure gradient of 10 mmHg or greater.-Causes:Causes can be divided into prehepatic, intrahepatic, and posthepatic...
.
Myths
There is a persistent myth that Sócrates studied medicine in Dublin, and that during this time he played reserve football for University College Dublin A.F.C.University College Dublin A.F.C.
University College Dublin Association Football Club known commonly as UCD is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland. The club, founded in 1895 was elected to the league in 1979 under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the 2008 season they have...
. The rumour gained some credibility following articles in several newspapers confirming it, in one case even citing a confirmation by a named source within the Football Association of Ireland
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
. The story is, however, a complete fabrication and has been debunked in other newspaper articles and denied by University College Dublin A.F.C.
University College Dublin A.F.C.
University College Dublin Association Football Club known commonly as UCD is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland. The club, founded in 1895 was elected to the league in 1979 under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the 2008 season they have...
.
Career statistics
|-|1973||rowspan="6"|Botafogo-SP
Botafogo Futebol Clube (SP)
Botafogo Futebol Clube is a Brazilian association football club based in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, founded on November 12, 1918. The club currently competes in the Campeonato Paulista Série A1, alongside the great clubs of the state, and in the Copa Paulista de Futebol.- History :In the...
||||0||0|||||||||||||0||0|
|-
|1974||||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1975||||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1976
The 1976 Campeonato Brasiliero was the sixth edition of Brazil's top football tournament for clubs. It was won by the holders Internacional, with Corinthians finishing as runners-up.-Final standings:-External links:*...
||rowspan="3"|Série A
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...
||19||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1977
-Overview:It was performed in 62 teams, and São Paulo won the championship. This championship is notable for producing what is perhaps the only unbeaten runner-up in world football. Atlético had won all but three of its matches, which were drawn, but was to play a single final match against São...
||16||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1978
-Overview:It was performed in 74 teams, and Guarani won the championship.-Final standings:-References:...
||22||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1978
-Overview:It was performed in 74 teams, and Guarani won the championship.-Final standings:-References:...
||rowspan="7"|Corinthians
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, commonly just known as Corinthians , is a Brazilian football club based in the city of São Paulo. They play in the São Paulo state league, as well as the Brasileirão, Brazil's top national league...
||Série A
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...
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979||||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1980
-Teams:Teams selected by record on previous state championship--Final standings:-References:...
||rowspan="5"|Série A
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...
||16||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1981
-Overview:It was performed in 44 teams, and Grêmio won the championship.-Final standings:-References:...
||1||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1982
-Overview:44 teams took part, with Flamengo winning the championship.-Final standings:-References:...
||9||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1983
-Overview:It was performed in 44 teams, and Flamengo won the championship.-Final standings:-References:...
||20||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1984
The 1984 season of the Campeonato Brasileiro began on January 29, 1984, and reached its end on May 28, 1984. The competition was won by Fluminense.-Format:...
||13||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85
Serie A 1984-85
The 1984/1985 Serie A season heralded Hellas Verona's first and so far only Scudetto. Unusually, none of the big three of Juventus, AC Milan or Inter managed to finish in the top two...
||Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||25||6||||||||||||||||
|-
|1985
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1985
-Overview:It was performed in 44 teams, and Coritiba won the championship.-Final standings:-References:...
||rowspan="3"|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...
||rowspan="3"|Série A
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...
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1986
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1986
-Overview:It was performed by 48 teams, including the four champions of the Série B and São Paulo won the championship.-Final standings:-Série A and Série B overall standings:-References:*...
||11||3||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987
Copa União
The Copa União was an one-off competition in Brazilian football, held in 1987 in the absence of the conventional CBF national championship.-Background:...
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1988
As the 1987 Copa União organized by the Clube dos 13 proved to be even more disastrously organized than the criticized 1986 edition, organized by the CBF, the 1988 featured the merging of both modules to feature the first ever tournament with real two divisions with promotion and relegation. The...
||Santos
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....
||Série A
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...
||5||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989||Botafogo-SP
Botafogo Futebol Clube (SP)
Botafogo Futebol Clube is a Brazilian association football club based in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, founded on November 12, 1918. The club currently competes in the Campeonato Paulista Série A1, alongside the great clubs of the state, and in the Copa Paulista de Futebol.- History :In the...
||||0||0||||||||||||||||
132||70||||||||||||||||
25||6||||||||||||||||
157||76||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979||6||5
|-
|1980||8||2
|-
|1981||15||6
|-
|1982||9||4
|-
|1983||8||2
|-
|1984||0||0
|-
|1985||5||1
|-
|1986||9||2
|-
!Total||60||22
|}