Zizinho

Thomaz Soares Valim, known as Zizinho, is revered as the greatest Brazilian player of the first half of the twentieth century and one of the greatest of all time. Nicknamed 'The Magician', he enchanted generations with his incomparable game vision, refined ball control and bewildering dribbles. Pelé publicly stated that Zizinho was the greatest player he had ever seen in his entire life. Born in Niterói in 1921, Zizinho built most of his career at Flamengo, where he became an absolute idol. He represented Brazil at the 1950 World Cup, held on Brazilian soil, being one of the great highlights of a team that reached the final and lost to Uruguay at Maracanã — an episode that went down in history as the 'Maracanazo'. With 53 matches for the national team and 30 goals scored, Zizinho left an invaluable legacy to Brazilian football. He passed away on February 8, 2002, but his legacy remains as the ultimate reference of the art of Brazilian football.