Bigode

Bigode (4 April 1922 - 31 July 2003) was a former Brazilian football player. He has played for Brazil national team. He was widely regarded as one of the finest Brazilian football players. He was known for marking opponents, tackling and his long range of passing and he was a quick defender and he is considered to be one of the best left-backs ever. His main virtue was his physical power, with great power and speed he made efficient markings and the rival wingers had difficulties to overcome him one on one. He was popularly known as 'Bigode' (mustache in Portuguese) because he always sported a mustache.
Club career
Bigode started his career with Sete de Setembro in 1939, where he showed himself well, after which he was taken to the team of one of the leaders of Brazilian football. Soon he made the move to Atletico Mineiro because of his good skills as a defender, winning the state championship in 1941 and 1942. In 1943 he moved to Fluminense and played there for six years, winning the state championship in 1946 and he was a key player for the club. He then went on to play for arch-rival Flamengo in 1949 where he formed a formidable defensive duo with Juvenal which was regarded as one of the best defences of all time, and returned to his old love Fluminense in 1952, where he also ended his career in 1956.
International career
Bigode played 16 matches for the national team and scored 1 goal. In 1949 he made his debut for the national team and he became South American champion with his team and in 1950 he was in the World Cup selection that was played in his own country. They reached the final, known as the Maracanaco. Bigode had to mark Alcides Ghiggia during the final match. Nobody expected Brazil to lose at home to Uruguay, Bigode played a bad game, Alcides Ghiggia dribbled past him on both goals and he was blamed for the defeat along with Barbosa and Juvenal. After the match he was no longer called up for the national team, but in 1952 he returned to the Brazilian national team after his absence for 2 years. In 1953 he was selected to play for Copa America, He made a formidable midfield trio with Bauer and Danilo and showed one of his best performances during that tournament as a tough tackler and a ball-winner after the tournament he retired from the Selecao for good.
International career statistics
|-
|1949||2||0
|-
|1950||10||1
|-
|1951||0||0
|-
|1952||1||0
|-
|1953||3||0
|-
!Total||16||1
|}
Honours
Club
Atletico-MG
Campeonato Mineiro: 1941, 1942
Flamengo
Embaixada Brasileira na Guatemala: 1949
Trofeu El Comite Nacional Olimpico da Guatemala: 1949
Fluminense
Campeonato Carioca: 1946
Copa Rio: 1952
International
Brazil
South American Championship: 1949
Taca Oswaldo Cruz: 1950
Copa Rio Branco: 1950
FIFA World Cup Runner-up: 1950
Panamerican Championship: 1952
South American Championship Runner-up: 1953
After retirement
After his retirement in 1956, Bigode opened a radio repair business in Belo Horizonte.
Death
In 2003, Bigode died from respiratory problems in his native city of Belo Horizonte, aged 81.
References
Other websites
1922 births
2003 deaths
Brazilian footballers
Sportspeople from Belo Horizonte
1950 FIFA World Cup players
Association football defenders