Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira
(19 February 1954 – 4 December 2011), simply known as Sócrates , was a Brazilian
footballer who played as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
. His
medical
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
degree and his political awareness, combined with style and quality of his play, earned him the nickname "Doctor Socrates". Easily recognizable for his beard and headband, Sócrates became the "symbol of cool for a whole generation of football supporters".
In 1983, he was named
South American Footballer of the Year. In 2004, he was named by
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...
in the
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list compiled by Brazilian professional footballer Pelé featuring his choices of the "greatest living footballers" at the time of its release. The list was unveiled on 4 March 2004 during a gala ceremony at the Natural Histor ...
list of the world's greatest living players. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time.
Socrates played for
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
for seven years, scoring 22 goals and representing the nation in two
World Cups. He
captained the team in the
1982 FIFA World Cup; playing in midfield alongside
Zico,
Falcão,
Toninho Cerezo and
Éder, considered one of the greatest Brazil national teams ever.
He also appeared in the
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
and
1983 Copa América. At club level, Sócrates played for
Botafogo-SP before joining
Corinthians in 1978. Representing Botafogo, Sócrates was the highest goalscorer in the 1976
Campeonato Paulista da Divisão Especial de Futebol Profissional.
He moved to Italy to play for
Fiorentina, returning to Brazil in 1985 to end his career. His younger brother
Raí played in the same position as him and was a member of the Brazilian team that won the World Cup in
1994
The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations.
In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
. Raí is best known for his tenures at
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
and
Paris Saint-Germain.
["Where are they now? Rai"](_blank)
The Guardian. 22 June 2008.
Playing career
Club career
Sócrates was born in
Belém do Pará.
[ He began playing football professionally in 1974 for Botafogo-SP in ]Ribeirão Preto
Ribeirão Preto (Portuguese pronunciation: Help:IPA/Portuguese, �ibejˈɾɐ̃w ˈpɾetu is a city and a metropolitan area located in the northeastern region of São Paulo (state), São Paulo state, Brazil.
Ribeirão Preto is the eighth-la ...
, but spent the majority of his career (1978 to 1984) with Corinthians, scoring 41 goals in 59 Brazilian Série A games, and 172 goals in 297 matches in total.
In 1984–85, aged 30, Sócrates had his first experience abroad, playing in Italian Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
with Fiorentina. He returned to his country after that sole season, representing Flamengo, Santos and former club Botafogo-SP, and retiring in 1989.[ During his period in Flamengo, he played 20 games, scoring 5 goals and won ]Campeonato Carioca
The Campeonato Carioca (Carioca Championship), officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro State Championship), also commonly known as the Cariocão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Br ...
: 1986. In 2004, more than a decade after retiring, 50-year-old Sócrates agreed to a one-month player-coaching deal with Garforth Town of the Northern Counties East Football League in England. He made his only appearance for the club on 20 November, against Tadcaster Albion, coming on as a substitute twelve minutes from time.
International career
Sócrates was capped 60 times for Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
between May 1979 and June 1986, scoring 22 goals.[ He captained the national team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, and also appeared in the 1986 World Cup in ]Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
.[ In the latter edition, he scored twice, starting with the game's only goal against ]Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
in the group stage. he added another in the round-of-16 4–0 win over Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, shooting his penalty kick without running; in the following game, against France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, he tried to convert it in the same fashion, but had his shootout attempt saved by goalkeeper Joël Bats; France ultimately progressed to the semi-finals. Sócrates also represented his country at the 1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
and 1983 Copa América tournaments. In the latter he appeared in only one game, the second leg of the final against Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
(1–1 home draw, 3-1 aggregate loss).
Style of play
A former centre-forward, who later made a name for himself as a midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, playing in either an attacking or central midfield role, Sócrates was an elegant, talented, and technical playmaker, known for his great through passes, precise long balls, link-up play, and his vision on the field, as well as his physical strength; he was also a two-footed player. While he was mainly known for his ability to orchestrate attacking plays, he was a prolific goal scorer himself, courtesy of his powerful and accurate shot with his right foot, and his ability to make attacking runs into the area from behind. He was also an accurate penalty taker, while his height, heading ability, and elevation allowed him to excel in the air. He was also known, however, for often not taking part in his teammates' celebrations whenever he scored a goal. Although he was not the quickest of players, and preferred to play the game at a slower tempo, he possessed good acceleration. His intelligence and ability to read the game were also highly valued, and his signature move was the blind or "no-look" back-heel pass.
Sócrates was a key member of the Brazil national team of the early to mid-1980s; Jonathan Wilson said that "Socrates was the brain of Brazil. He might not quite have had the flair of Zico, but he was the central intelligence". Former coach at Fiorentina, Giancarlo De Sisti, said: "Socrates was a very intelligent man, he had great class." In addition to his playing ability and intelligence, he was known for his correct behaviour and charismatic presence on the pitch, as well as his leadership in the dressing room, which made him a respected figure among his teammates, while his height, headband, hairstyle, and beard made him a highly recognisable figure on the pitch. He also often stood out for his outspokenness, humour, eccentric personality, his strong, rebellious character, and his left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
political views, often speaking out against political issues in his home-country. He was equally notorious for not being particularly hard-working or disciplined in his personal life, as he smoked and drank large quantities of beer, once commenting: "I am an anti-athlete. I cannot deny myself certain lapses from the strict regime of a sportsman. You have to take me as I am."
Personal life
Sócrates was the firstborn child of Raimundo and Guiomar Vieira. He was born in Belém, Pará, and relocated with his family to Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, in January 1960 after his father Raimundo earned an important position as revenue supervisor. This job earned Sócrates' father the status of a small-town hero in Igarapé-Açu, where the family lived at the time. His father's new salary allowed Sócrates to attend the best school in Ribeirão Preto, Colégio Marista. In a biography written by the journalist Tom Cardoso, it is revealed that the small library Sócrates' father had built in his home, containing philosophy books and other works, came under threat as of the 1964 Brazialian coup d'état. Sócrates watched his father rid himself of books that he so loved. He recalled: "In 1964, I saw my father tear many books, because of the coup d'état. I thought that was absurd, because the library was the thing he liked best. That was when I felt that something was not right. But I only understood much later, in college." At age 10, Sócrates was exposed to the repercussions of the military dictatorship's censorship. His childhood was marked by this event which he came to comprehend as an adult later in life.
Sócrates married four times, divorced three times, and died in his fourth marriage. He had six children. He was a columnist for a number of newspapers and magazines, writing not only about sports, but also politics and economics. He frequently appeared on Brazilian TV programmes as a football pundit. At the time of his death, Sócrates was writing a fictional book about the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Sócrates was a physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
, a rare achievement for a professional footballer (he held a bachelor's degree in medicine from the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, the medical school of the University of São Paulo
The Universidade de São Paulo (, USP) is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and the largest public university in Brazil.
The university was founded on 25 January 1934, regrouping already existing schools in ...
). Even rarer is the fact that he earned the degree while concurrently playing professional football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
. After retiring as a player, he practised medicine in Ribeirão Preto
Ribeirão Preto (Portuguese pronunciation: Help:IPA/Portuguese, �ibejˈɾɐ̃w ˈpɾetu is a city and a metropolitan area located in the northeastern region of São Paulo (state), São Paulo state, Brazil.
Ribeirão Preto is the eighth-la ...
. He was also noted for being an intellectual, a heavy drinker and a smoker.
Politics
During his time at Corinthians, Sócrates co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement, in opposition to the then-ruling Brazilian military government. Sócrates and his teammates protested against the regime's treatment of footballers, and showed support to the wider movement for democratisation by wearing shirts with "Democracia" written on them during games. Corinthians Democracy was meant to be the voice of Brazilian sport in the struggle to re-democratize the country. Sócrates and his teammates believed they could model how society was supposed to function by making all of the club's decisions through voting. It was believed that debate, swapping ideas, and voting could function as an example for the general public.
On 16 April 1984, Sócrates spoke out in support of Diretas Já (Free Elections Now), a popular movement that called for direct presidential elections. In ''Socrates and the Corinthians' Democracy'', Juca Kfouri, a Brazilian journalist, recalls how "Socrates took the risk of saying, in front of two million people gathered on the cathedral square, that if direct presidential elections weren't accepted by the regime, he'd go play in Italy." By hinging his transfer abroad on the outcome of a constitutional amendment, Socrates' political legacy began to form. His denunciation of the military dictatorship and fight to redemocratize Brazil extended his legacy beyond the football field. Sócrates stated that three of his childhood heroes were Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
, Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
, and John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
. He was also a member of the Brazil Workers' Party, and said that " Lula was good" but that he had "earned a mere seven or so out of ten" for his way of governing Brazil.
Death and tributes
In 2011, Sócrates' health started to deteriorate. His use of alcohol has been linked to this. On 19 August 2011, he was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo with gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to portal hypertension and was discharged nine days later. The following month he spent 17 days in hospital with a liver ailment. On 1 December 2011, he was hospitalised with food poisoning which developed into septic shock and he was put on life support. He died on 4 December 2011 at the age of 57. He was survived by his wife and six children. Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff paid tribute, saying Brazil had lost "one of its most cherished sons". She added: "On the field, with his talent and sophisticated touches, he was a genius. Off the pitch ..he was active politically, concerned with his people and his country."
Corinthians fans held up signs in tribute and there was a moment of silence before the team's match against Palmeiras (a 0–0 draw which secured Corinthians their first Brazilian title for six years). The result matched a professed desire of Sócrates, who had once stated his wish "to die on a Sunday when Corinthians won a trophy". Fiorentina held a minute's silence before their league match against Roma, and the players wore black armbands in tribute. Former Brazil striker Ronaldo tweeted: "Sad start to the day. Rest in peace Dr. Socrates." Zico called him "unique". Italy's Paolo Rossi described the death as "a piece of our history that's broken off and gone away". Garforth chairman Simon Clifford paid tribute to the "great grace" of Sócrates.
Legacy
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...
named Sócrates in the FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list compiled by Brazilian professional footballer Pelé featuring his choices of the "greatest living footballers" at the time of its release. The list was unveiled on 4 March 2004 during a gala ceremony at the Natural Histor ...
list of the world's greatest living players in March 2004 and World Soccer named him one of 100 best footballers in history. In October 2008, he was inducted into the Pacaembu Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame. In 2022, '' France Football'' gave out the first edition of the Sócrates Award.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sócrates goal.''
Honours
Botafogo-SP
* Torneio Vicente Feola: 1976
Corinthians
*Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...
: 1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, 1982, 1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
Flamengo
* Taça Rio: 1986
*Campeonato Carioca
The Campeonato Carioca (Carioca Championship), officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro State Championship), also commonly known as the Cariocão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Br ...
: 1986
Brazil
*Copa América
The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...
runner-up: 1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
; third place: 1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
* Brazil-England Cup: 1981
Individual
* Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
*FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list compiled by Brazilian professional footballer Pelé featuring his choices of the "greatest living footballers" at the time of its release. The list was unveiled on 4 March 2004 during a gala ceremony at the Natural Histor ...
*'' World Soccer'': 61st Greatest Player of the 20th Century
*Campeonato Paulista top scorer: 1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
* Bola de Prata: 1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
* FIFA XI: 1982
* South American Footballer of the Year: 1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
* FAI International Football Awards – International Personality: 2007
* '' World Soccer'': World Team of the Year 1982, 1983, 1984
References
External links
*
*
Garforth debut photo gallery
at BBC
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Socrates
1954 births
2011 deaths
Footballers from Belém
Footballers from Ribeirão Preto
Brazilian men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Botafogo Futebol Clube (SP) players
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players
São Paulo state football team players
CR Flamengo footballers
Santos FC players
Serie A players
ACF Fiorentina players
Garforth Town A.F.C. players
Brazil men's international footballers
1982 FIFA World Cup players
1986 FIFA World Cup players
1979 Copa América players
1983 Copa América players
Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate football managers in Ecuador
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Ecuador
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
South American Footballer of the Year winners
FIFA 100
Brazilian columnists
20th-century Brazilian physicians
University of São Paulo alumni
Deaths from cirrhosis
Botafogo Futebol Clube (SP) managers
L.D.U. Quito managers
Associação Desportiva Cabofriense managers
Brazilian football managers
Brazilian socialists
Alcohol-related deaths in Brazil
20th-century Brazilian sportsmen