death_date nationalcaps manageryears birth_date years death_place caps goals image_size nationalyears image name caption fullname birth_place nationalteam height totalcaps totalgoals nationalgoals clubs position managerclubs article_title
4 december 2011 60 1990 1996 1999 19 february 1954 1974 1986 -- 1987 1988 -- 1989 1989 2004 -- 1978 1978 -- 1984 1984 -- 1985 são paulo , brazil 269 297 25 25 23 0 1 101 172 6 6 7 0 0 230 1979 -- 1986 socrates87660.jpg sócrates sócrates in 2005 sócrates brasileiro sampaio de souza vieira de oliveira belém , pará , brazil brazil 1.93 640 292 22 botafogo-sp corinthians fiorentina flamengo santos botafogo-sp garforth town attacking midfielder botafogo-sp ldu quito cabofriense sócrates

sócrates

sócrates brasileiro sampaio de souza vieira de oliveira , md -lrb- 19 february 1954 -- 4 december 2011 -rrb- , simply sócrates , was a brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder .
his doctorate in medicine and his political awareness , earned him the nickname `` doctor socrates '' .
easily recognizable for his beard and headband , sócrates became the `` symbol of cool for a whole generation of football supporters '' .
he was a technical playmaker , known for great through passes and his vision on the field , as well as his physical strength .
he was also a two-footed player and a prolific goal scorer .
his ability to read the game was highly valued , and his signature move was the blind heel pass .
he was considered to be one of the greatest midfielders ever to play the game .
in 1983 , he was named south american footballer of the year .
in 2004 he was named by pelé in the fifa 100 list of the world 's greatest living players .
sócrates played for brazil for seven years , scoring 22 goals and representing the nation in two world cups .
he captained the team in the 1982 fifa world cup ; playing in midfield alongside zico , falcão and Éder , considered one of the greatest brazilian national teams ever .
he also appeared in the 1979 and 1983 copa américa .
at club level , sócrates played for botafogo-sp before joining corinthians in 1978 .
he moved to italy to play for fiorentina , returning to brazil in 1985 to end his career .
