Toninho Cerezo

Antônio Carlos Cerezo, widely known as Toninho Cerezo, is one of the greatest midfielders in the history of Brazilian football. Born on April 21, 1955 in Belo Horizonte, he built his entire foundation at Atlético Mineiro before shining in European fields, becoming one of the first Brazilians to win major titles in Italy. At Atlético Mineiro, where he was developed and turned professional, Cerezo became famous for the rare combination of physical strength, tactical intelligence, and refined technique. He was a complete midfielder, capable of marking with efficiency and also conducting and distributing play with uncommon elegance for the position. In 1983, he transferred to Roma, where alongside Falcão — another Brazilian star — he won the only Italian Championship in the club's history, the Scudetto of 1983. The Brazilian duo at Roma remained in the memory of Italian football as one of the most elegant midfield partnerships of Serie A in that era. Later at Sampdoria, he won the Coppa Italia and the European Super Cup in 1990. His Brazilian legacy is inseparable from the 1982 World Cup, when he was part of Telê Santana's squad — considered one of the most beautiful of all time — alongside Sócrates, Zico, Falcão and Éder, in a team that enchanted the world but was tragically eliminated by Italy.