Francisco das Chagas Marinho (8 February 1952 – 31 May 2014), generally known as Marinho Chagas or Francisco Marinho, 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 ...

. One of the best

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s of his era, he is best known for his flowing curly blond hair and his performance at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, in which Brazil finished fourth. At club level he is mostly associated with

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 ...

of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo FC, but he played for numerous other teams, as well as in the

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, in a career which spanned from 1969 to 1987.

Club career

Marinho Chagas was born in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. He played left-back with

of Rio and the Brazil national team. He played the

Football World Cup 1974 The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...

. He was a skilful and innovative right footed left back who was considered at the time one of the top players at his position. He was an attack minded full-back with a powerful shot, and is considered a pioneer, becoming very influential in helping the lateral position evolve into what it is in today's Brazilian football. He travelled the world and played for many different clubs in Brazil, the US and Germany, always showing great skill and quality, but not settling anywhere for too long. His longest stint was with Botafogo, where he stayed four years from 1972 to 1976. He spent two years in the

. In the first year, playing for 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 ...

alongside

Carlos Alberto Torres Carlos Alberto "Capita" Torres (17 July 1944 – 25 October 2016), also known as "O Capitão do Tri", was a Brazilian football player and manager who played as an attacking right-sided full-back or wing-back. A technically gifted defender w ...

and the German legend Franz Beckenbauer, his club lost in the semifinal of the championship to eventual winners

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. Marinho scored 8 goals in his 24 matches that season. The following year, playing with German striker phenomenon Gerd Müller for the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

in Florida, he scored three goals in 19 matches. The Strikers finished the season as runners-up in the championship, losing the final 0-3 to the Cosmos. However, Marinho did not play in the

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. Back in Brazil he won with São Paulo FC the State Championship of São Paulo of 1981, the most notable title of his career, overcoming

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in the finals 1-1, 2-0. His personal performance in this year yield him a third Bola de Prata of the specialist magazine

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. He ended his career as player with a brief stint in Germany where he played in the lowest amateur division, the local "C-Klasse", alongside some outdated former minor

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celebrities in

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for the short-lived ''BC Harlekin'', named after the chain of gambling halls operated by the quasi owner of the club, Mr Peter Eiba who had grand ideas to taking the club all the way to the first division. After his return to Natal, Marinho stood as

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candidate for the city council, but was defeated. His release of the single with the song ''Eu Sou Assim'' ("That's the way I am") did not enter him into a career in this sector. In 1991, he was hired to coach the El Paso Patriots, an amateur team competing in the

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International career

With the Brazil national team Chagas played 36 matches (8 non-official) and scored four goals between 1973 and 1977. He made his debut in a friendly match defeat to Sweden in June 1973. He started in every match during the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and was part of a very solid defense which only conceded four goals in seven matches on their way to a 4th-place finish. Chagas played his last game for Brazil in June 1977 against Yugoslavia.

Personal life and death

Marinho Chagas has no familial relation to the Brazilian

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, Francisco das Chagas Rodrigues de Brito, often referred to in press as simply, Francisco das Chagas. Marinho Chagas died on 31 May 2014 in João Pessoa (RN), from a digestive hemorrhage. At the time of his death, he was working as a sports commentator for a station in Natal. He was 62 years of age. The former full back had been battling alcoholism in his later years, seeking treatment for illnesses related to his drinking. Marinho Chagas was a father of three, two sons and a daughter as well as a grandfather to three. In an interview in 2013, he joked that he might have other children, given his wild ways, but that none of them come forward to claim him as their father.Marinho Chagas Ex-lateral do Botafogo, Fluminense e São Paulo: What ever happened to?
Transcription of a radio show done in 2013: ABC em Natal, Náutico no Recife, Botafogo no RJ e São Paulo F.C. em São Paulo. Contents accessed via Google Translate 2 June 2014.

Career statistics

Honours

São Paulo * Campeonato Paulista (São Paulo State championship): 1981 ABC *

Campeonato Potiguar The Campeonato Potiguar is the football league of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Format First Division First stage: standard round-robin, in which all teams play each other once. Second stage: home-and-away playoffs between the t ...

(Rio Grande do Norte State championship): 1971 Brazil * Copa Roca: 1976 *

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: 1976 Individual * Bola de Prata: 1972, 1973, 1981 by

for best player of the year in his position. * Silver award:

South American Player of the Year The Rey del Fútbol de América ("King of Football of America"), often referred to as the South American Footballer of the Year, is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar ...

in 1974 for second best player of South America * Silver award:

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in the 1974 Athlete category * All-Star Team of 1974 FIFA World Cup

References

External links

CBF

– photos & stats * Rogério Micheletti:
Marinho Chagas: Ex-lateral do Botafogo, Fluminense e São Paulo
', Terceiro Tempo: Que fim levou? * Dave Morrison:

' NASL Soccer: North American Soccer League Players. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chagas, Marinho 1952 births 2014 deaths People from Natal, Rio Grande do Norte Bangu Atlético Clube players Brazilian footballers Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazil international footballers Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas players Clube Náutico Capibaribe players Fluminense FC players Association football fullbacks Fortaleza Esporte Clube players Los Angeles Heat players New York Cosmos players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players São Paulo FC players USISL coaches Western Soccer Alliance players 1974 FIFA World Cup players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Brazilian football managers Sportspeople from Rio Grande do Norte