Mário Sérgio

Mário Sérgio Pontes de Paiva was born in Rio de Janeiro on September 7, 1950 and started playing futsal at Fluminense. In 1969 he tried out for Flamengo and was signed, becoming a professional the following year. Left-footed and very skillful, he earned the nickname Vesgo because he would look to one side and pass the ball to the other. He became an idol at Vitória, where he formed an attacking trio with André Catimba and Osni, winning the Bahia State Championship in 1972 and receiving the Placar magazine Silver Ball award in 1973 and 1974. Later he shone at Fluminense, two-time Rio State champions in 1975 and 1976, and at Internacional, undefeated Brazilian champions in 1979 and runners-up in the 1980 Libertadores Cup. He was also state champion of São Paulo in 1981 with São Paulo and signed by Grêmio at the end of 1983 at the request of Valdir Espinosa, especially for the Intercontinental Cup, won that year. He is one of the few players admired by fans of both Grêmio and Internacional. For the Brazilian National Team, he played 8 matches between 1981 and 1985. He retired in 1987 and coached clubs such as Vitória, Corinthians, São Paulo, Athletico Paranaense and Internacional. Later he worked as a commentator for Fox Sports channels from 2012 to 2016. He died on November 28, 2016, in La Unión, Colombia.