Manoel Pereira (3 January 1927 – 23 April 1985), mostly known by the nickname Leônidas da Selva, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a
forward.
Nickname origin
Manoel earned the nickname "Leônidas da Selva" from journalist Sandro Moreira, a joke on the player's physical resemblance to
Leônidas da Silva Leonidas was the king of Sparta who ruled c. 489–480 BC, and who led the allied Greek forces in a last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae.
Leonidas may also refer to:
People
Antiquity
*Leonidas I, Greek king of Sparta, ruled c. 489– ...
, but having a totally ferocious style of play on the field (in Portuguese, "Selva" means
jungle
jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century.
Etymology
The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...
).
Career
Started his career in
Santa Catarina, played for Flamengo de Estreito and Lauro Müller. After, played for Palestra Itália de Curitiba and Avaí FC. In 1952, arrived at America, a club with which he had national recognition which earned him six call ups for the Brazil national team in 1956.
He scored an unusual goal on an America trip to Turkey, where he scored with his heel, supporting his body weight on his hands.
Honours
Brazil
*
Taça Oswaldo Cruz: 1956
*
Taça do Atlântico
Taça do Atlântico (, ) was a national football team's competition held between 1956 and 1976 on an irregular basis, contested by the national football teams from South America.
Teams participating were Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay ...
: 1956
America
*
1955 Campeonato Carioca runners-up
References
External links
Leônidas da Selvaat ogol.com.br
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonidas da Selva
1927 births
1985 deaths
Men's association football forwards
Brazilian men's footballers
Avaí FC players
America Football Club (Rio de Janeiro) players
Brazil men's international footballers
Footballers from Santa Catarina (state)
20th-century Brazilian sportsmen