Gylmar dos Santos Neves (; 22 August 1930 – 25 August 2013), known simply as Gilmar, was a Brazilian footballer who played
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
for
Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...
and
Santos and was a member of the
Brazil national team in three
World Cups
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
. He was elected the best Brazilian goalkeeper of the 20th century and one of the best in the world by the
IFFHS
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
. He is remembered for his sober style on the pitch and his peaceful personality.
Alex Bellos says in his book ''Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life'' that Gilmar is named after his parents, Gilberto and Maria. Gilmar was the starting goalkeeper for
Pelé's Santos and Brazilian national teams of the 1960s. In 1998, he was awarded the
FIFA Order of Merit
The FIFA Order of Merit is the highest honour awarded by FIFA. The award is presented at the annual FIFA congress. It is normally awarded to people who are considered to have made a significant contribution to :association football.
At FIFA's ce ...
.
Club career
Gilmar was born in
Santos,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, and started his career playing for hometown side
Jabaquara. In 1951 he joined
Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...
, winning three
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional association football, football league in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. Run b ...
titles with the club in 1951, 1952 and 1954.
In 1961, Gilmar signed for
Santos, being a part of the team who was known as ''
Os Santásticos
''Os Santásticos'' (, ''The Santastics'') is the nickname for the group of Santos Futebol Clube players coached by Lula and Antoninho that won a total of 25 titles between 1959 and 1974, including two Copa Libertadores. Often considered one ...
''. An immediate starter, he won five Campeonato Paulista (1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968), five
Taça Brasil (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965), two
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
(1962 and 1963) and two
Intercontinental Cups (1962 against
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (; 25 January 1942 – 5 January 2014), nicknamed the "Black Panther", the "Black Pearl" or "O Rei" ("The King"), was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the greatest players of ...
's
Benfica and 1963 against
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
).
International career
With the
Brazil national team, Gilmar played 94 times, allowing only 95 goals.
He was selected to the national squad for three straight World Cups, between
1958 and
1966.
He was part of the starting team in the first two World Cups Brazil won, in
1958 and
1962, and is the only goalkeeper to win two consecutive World Cups in the starting position.
Style of play
Regarded by pundits as one of the greatest Brazilian goalkeepers of all time,
Gilmar was an agile shot-stopper, who possessed excellent reflexes, and who was also known for his composure under pressure, as well as his ability to inspire a sense of calm and confidence in his defenders.
Death
Gilmar died just three days after his 83rd birthday,
due to a
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
.
Honours
Corinthians
*
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional association football, football league in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. Run b ...
: 1951, 1952, 1954
Santos
*
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...
: 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
*Campeonato Paulista: 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968
*
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
: 1962, 1963
Brazil
*
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
:
1958,
1962
References
External links
*
Corinthians All Time Best XI Placar Magazine*
at goalkeepersaredifferent.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmar
1930 births
2013 deaths
Sportspeople from Santos, São Paulo
Brazilian footballers
1958 FIFA World Cup players
1962 FIFA World Cup players
1966 FIFA World Cup players
Brazil international footballers
FIFA World Cup-winning players
Association football goalkeepers
Santos FC players
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players