Rildo da Costa Menezes (23 January 1942 – 16 May 2021), also known as ''Rildo'', was a Brazilian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a defender.

Club career

Rildo was the last of Santos Golden Era players, which included Pelé,

Pepe Pepe is a pet form of the Spanish name José (Josep). It is also a surname. * People Mononyms * Pepe (footballer, born 1935), real name José Macia, Brazilian footballer *Pepe (footballer, born 1983), real name Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira ...

, Coutinho,

Clodoaldo Clodoaldo Tavares de Santana, better known as Clodoaldo (; born 25 September 1949 in Aracaju), is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Clodoaldo usually played as a defensive midfielder for both Santos Futebol ...

and many others. His career began in 1959 when he signed a youth contract with

Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood ('' bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of ...

. In 1961 he began his senior career with Botafogo, two times winner in 1961 and 1962, and Brazilian Championship in 1963. In 1967, he transferred to

Santos FC Santos Futebol Clube (), commonly known simply as Santos or Santos FC and nicknamed the ''Peixe'' (; "fish"), is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro, a '' bairro'' in the city of Santos. It is also the team with the most goals i ...

. Three time winner of Săo Paulo State Championship he captained the team that won (1967, 1968, 1969). From 1963 to 1970, he played for the Brazil national team. In 1977, he joined Pelé with the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

of the North American Soccer League. In 1978, he played for the Southern California Lazers of the American Soccer League and was selected to the ASL all-star team that season. In 1979, he played for the

California Sunshine The California Sunshine was an American soccer club based in Fountain Valley, California that was a member of the American Soccer League. The team was owned by Dr. Robert Everakes and his wife Alexandra, who was the general manager. Their home game ...

. On 16 April 1980, he signed with the

Cleveland Cobras The Cleveland Stars were an American soccer club based in Cleveland, Ohio and a member of the American Soccer League in 1972–73. Before the 1974 season, the name was changed to the Cleveland Cobras. Overview The Stars' colors were blue and ...

of the American Soccer League.

International career

Rildo earned 49

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, scoring one goal, with the Brazil national team from 1963 to 1969. He was a member of the Brazilian team at the 1966 FIFA World Cup where he scored his lone national team goal in a 3–1 loss to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Coaching career

In 1990, Rildo coached the

California Emperors California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas ha ...

. In 1993, he coached the Los Angeles Salsa of the American Professional Soccer League. In October 1993, he resigned after the team lost the championship game. In 1995, he coached the San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles of the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. Rildo was an assistant coach with the Marlborough High School soccer team where he oversaw the junior varsity. He assisted professional British Head Coach Gareth Pashley to their most successful season in the High School's history.

Death

Rildo died in Los Angeles on 16 May 2021, aged 79.

Honours

;

Botafogo FR Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...

* Campeonato Carioca:

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

* Torneio Rio-São Paulo:

, 1966 ;

* Campeonato Paulista:

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

* Recopa Sudamericana:

Intercontinental Champions' Supercup The Intercontinental Champions' Supercup, commonly referred to as the Intercontinental Supercup or Recopa Intercontinental, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested by the past winners of the Intercontinental Cup. Th ...

. *

Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa The Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, also known as Taça de Prata, or nicknamed Robertão, was an association football competition contested in Brazil between 1967 and 1970 among soccer teams from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas ...

;

* NASL:

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

References

External links

NASL/MISL stats

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menezes, Rildo da Costa 1942 births 2021 deaths Sportspeople from Recife Brazilian footballers Association football defenders Brazil international footballers 1966 FIFA World Cup players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas players California Sunshine players Cleveland Cobras players Cleveland Force (original MISL) players New York Cosmos players Santos FC players Southern California Lazers players Sport Club do Recife players Brazilian football managers American Professional Soccer League coaches USISL coaches Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer managers in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States