Osmar Santos (born July 28, 1949) is a former painter and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

from

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. He was a very successful

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

sports commentator in the 1980s and early 1990s, known for his outstanding verbal fluency (estimated at over one hundred words per minute) and for his numerous

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

s, which still punctuate Brazilian football culture. Throughout his career, Osmar Santos worked alongside major sportscasters and media personalities, such as Galvão Bueno,

Fausto Silva Fausto Corrêa da Silva (born May 3, 1950) commonly known as Faustão (literally Big Fausto), is a Brazilian television presenter. He is best known as the host of long-running Sunday afternoon show '' Domingão do Faustão'', which premiered in ...

and João Saldanha. He also worked as

TV host A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...

in a number of shows. Osmar Santos publicly supported

Diretas Já Diretas Já (, ''Direct (Elections) Now'') was a civil unrest movement which, in 1984, demanded direct presidential elections in Brazil. Participants of the movement The movement brought together diverse elements of Brazilian society. Participa ...

, a political movement for direct suffrage in Brazilian presidential politics. In 1994, Osmar Santos suffered a serious car accident traveling from

Marília Marília () is a Brazilian municipality in the midwestern region of the state of São Paulo. Its distance from the state capital São Paulo is by highway, by railway and in a straight line. It is located at an altitude of 675 meters. The popula ...

to Lins, when he was hit by a

drunk Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main ...

truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

. He underwent extensive brain damage, having acquired right hemiplegia and

Expressive aphasia Expressive aphasia, also known as Broca's aphasia, is a type of aphasia characterized by partial loss of the ability to produce language ( spoken, manual, or written), although comprehension generally remains intact. A person with expressive apha ...

, which rendered him unable to utter more than a limited selection of words. Osmar Santos then took up painting, and his art brut works are highly valued by collectors. He is commemorated by

Troféu Osmar Santos Troféu Osmar Santos is an award given by the Brazilian newspaper Lance! to the winner of the first turn of the Série A. The trophy honors Osmar Santos, who is a former sports commentator. The award was created in 2004. Winners Titles by team ...

, a football award given out annually. Two of his brothers and a cousin work as sportscasters.

References

1949 births Brazilian civil rights activists Brazilian journalists Brazilian painters Brazilian television presenters Association football commentators Living people People from São Paulo (state) People with traumatic brain injuries {{Brazil-painter-stub