Leônidas

Leonidas da Silva (6 September 1913 - 24 January 2004) was a Brazilian football player. He played for Brazil national team. Leonidas was famous for his bicycle kicks and possessed good dribbling and pace. His nickname was the "Rubber Man" and "Black Diamond" because of his incredible agility. He is regarded as one of the most important football players in the first half of the 20th century and he is considered one of the greatest strikers of 1930s and 1940s.
Early life
Born in Sao Cristovao on September 6, 1913, he was the son of Manoel Nunes da Silva and Maria da Silva. He was a simple boy from Sao Cristovao, a neighborhood in the residential and commercial area of Rio de Janeiro, where his mother lived in the house of his adoptive parents, a fan of Fluminense ,delighted that he was with the three-time champion carioca team from 1917-18 and 1918-19. Although he completed his primary studies and high school in schools in that neighborhood, Leonidas wanted to dedicate himself to football. At a very young age, he began to practice the sport, then an amateur in Brazil, in the nudes at Ponte dos Marinheiros. At the age of 13, he stood out as a juvenile of Sao Cristovao. In 1926, he also started to defend other clubs in the neighborhood, such as Havanesa, then Barroso and Sul-Americano, in order to earn some money.
Club career
In 1929, he played for Syrio and Libanez. In 1931, Leonidas moved to Bonsucesso, where he began his semi-professionalization by signing his first contract, for which he would receive four hundred thousand reis per month. At Bonsucesso, Leonidas also played basketball, having won the championship in this sport. A year later, he was already featured in Carioca football, having been called up to play in the Carioca National Team in a friendly against Ferencvaros TC, then Hungarian champion, and scored a goal in the match. Also in 1931, he won the Brazilian State Team Championship. Still in 1934, he transferred to Penarol, where he could not shine because of a knee injury. He returned to Rio de Janeiro to play for Vasco da Gama, who played one season and helped the club win the 1934 Campeonato Carioca. The following year, he changed clubs again, going to play for Botafogo, where he won Carioca that season. In 1936, he transferred to Flamengo, where he played until 1942, becoming Rio champion in 1939. This transfer would be remembered by Botafogo leader Carlito Rocha, more than thirty years later: "Leonidas gave an interview in Rio Grande do Sul, stating that he was Flamengo at heart. When he returned, he confirmed the statements. I sent him away immediately and fixed the price of the pass at five contos [de reis], which was how much he owed the club's treasury. The next day, Flavio Costawent to the club and took Leonidas to Flamengo. I couldn't admit to Botafogo an athlete who publicly said that under his white shirt, a red-black heart beat. The mood in Flamengo was deteriorating, however. In early 1941, he refused to participate in a tour of Argentina due to an injury, in addition to his constant participation in advertisements, which led to problems with the directors. In the midst of this, he was arrested by the Army for using a false reservist certificate to get a public job, ending his time at Flamengo. In 1943, Leonidas moved to Sao Paulo. Its debut broke the attendance record at the Pacaembu stadium, with more than seventy thousand fans in attendance. He was recognised one of the biggest idols in the club's history, having been Champion Paulistain 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1949. The following year, the Rubber Man retired from football at the age of 37.
International career
Taking advantage of an injury to the famous striker Nilo, Leonidas won an opportunity in the Brazilian National Team on December 4, 1932, which would face Uruguay at Estadio Centenario, for the Copa Rio Branco. Brazil won with two goals from young Leonidas da Silva. In 1934, he was one of those called up for the World Cup in Italy, having scored the only goal of the Brazilian team's only match in the competition. He was left out for Copa America in 1937, Still at the end of the 1930s, Leonidas was the biggest highlight of the Brazilian team in the 1938 World Cup, having been the top scorer in the competition, with eight goals. Brazil achieved its best participation in World Cups so far, taking third place. Subsequently, the Black Diamond was chosen the best player of that Cup. He participated during the Roca Cup when Brazil finished second against Argentina and also in 1940. He played in the Copa Rio Branco in 1940 and Brazil finished as runners-up against Uruguay. He was close to participate for Copa America in 1942 and 1945 but he wasn't able to be selected. He won the Roca Cup with Brazil against Argentina, Leonidas was selected to play for Copa America in 1946, It was the first and only time that he played for the Copa America, where Brazil finished second.
After football career
After leaving the lawns in 1951, he was still connected to the sport. He was manager of Sao Paulo, soon after became a sports commentator, being considered by many a direct, tough and controversial commentator. He went on to win seven Roquette Pinto Trophies. He had a cameo in the Brazilian film Susana e o Presidente, from 1951. His broadcasting career had to be cut short in 1974 due to Alzheimer's Disease. For thirty years he lived in a home for the elderly in Sao Paulo until he died on January 24, 2004 at the age of 90, due to complications related to the disease. He was buried at Cemiterio da Paz in Sao Paulo.
International career statistics
|-
|1932||1||2
|-
|1933||0||0
|-
|1934||2||3
|-
|1935||0||0
|-
|1936||0||0
|-
|1937||0||0
|-
|1938||4||7
|-
|1939||2||2
|-
|1940||6||6
|-
|1941||0||0
|-
|1942||0||0
|-
|1943||0||0
|-
|1944||0||0
|-
|1945||3||1
|-
|1946||1||0
|-
!Total||19||21
|}
Honours
Sao Cristovao
Campeonato Carioca de terceiros Quadros de: 1929
Syrio Libanez
Campeonato Brasileiro de Selecoes Estaduais: 1931
Vasco da Gama
Campeonato Carioca: 1934
Botafogo
Campeonato Carioca: 1935
Torneio Aberto de Futebol do Rio de Janeiro: 1936
Taca Joao Vianna Seilir: 1936
Taca da Paz: 1937
Flamengo
Campeonato Brasileiro de Selecoes Estaduais: 1938, 1940, 1942
Campeonato Carioca: 1939
Sao Paulo
Campeonato Paulista: 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949
Torneio Inicio Paulista: 1945
Taca Cidade de Sao Paulo: 1944
Taca dos Invictos: 1946, 1947
Taca Amizade (Sao Paulo): 1946
Torneio Pentagonal R. Monteiro: 1949, 1950
Taca dos Campeoes Estaduais de Sao Paulo e do Rio de Janeiro: 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948
III Olimpiada Tricolor: 1944
Taca Coletividade Brasileira, Paraguai: 1945
Taca Cia Internacional de Capitalizacao: 1946
Taca Argemiro Ribeiro de Oliveira, Barretos: 1946
Taca Cid de Mattos Vianna, Minas Gerais: 1946
Taca Amizade, Rio de Janeiro: 1946
Taca Governador Octavio Mangabeira, Bahia: 1947
Taca Casteloes, Ribeirao Preto: 1947
Taca Dr. Jose Ribeiro Fortez, Sao Joaquim da Barra: 1948
Trofeu Casanova, Barretos: 1948
Taca Corante Wilson, Parana: 1949.