Telê Santana da Silva, also known as Telê Santana (July 26, 1931 – April 21, 2006) was a Brazilian
football manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
and former player (
right winger). He was born in
Itabirito,
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literall ...
.
Telê was the manager responsible for putting together the
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...
and
1986 Brazil national squads. The 1982 squad in particular is remembered as one of the greatest teams in football history not to win the
World Cup. It included players such as
Zico,
Sócrates,
Falcão,
Júnior and
Toninho Cerezo. He was also a highly successful manager of various
club teams, including the legendary 1992 and 1993
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, and was also very influential with
Atlético Mineiro and
Fluminense.
Telê is often mentioned by the Brazilian sports press as being one of the most relevant football managers to ever work in the country. His preferred style of play was very offensive-minded, and he believed in training athletes by using relentless repetition of elementary fundamentals of the game, such as passing the ball and
set piece training.
Career
Playing career
Telê played for clubs such as
Fluminense,
Madureira and
Vasco da Gama. He was also a reserve player of the
Brazil national football team. As a player, his preferred position was
centre forward. However, he started his career as a
goalkeeper.
Managerial career
His career as a manager started in 1967, coaching the Fluminense youth squad. Four years later, Telê led
Atlético Mineiro to win its first
Brazilian championship title. Regarded to have coached two of the best Brazil national squads ever in the
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...
and
1986 World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had ...
s, he failed, however, to win the tournament in both occasions.
Besides the coaching of the Brazil national team, Santana returned to club management in 1988 at
Flamengo, but enjoyed his palmiest days with São Paulo between 1990 and 1996. With an outstanding team featuring
Zetti,
Cafu,
Raí
Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira (born 15 May 1965), known as Raí (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
He spent the better part of his 15-year career with São Paulo and Paris Saint-Germain ...
, and
Leonardo (all of the aforementioned players eventually made it to the national squad in 1994), the side won the Brazilian championship title in 1991, and then the
Libertadores Cup in 1992 and 1993, the first time that a Brazilian club had won it in 10 years. In those same two seasons, São Paulo also claimed the
world club title in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, beating first
Johan Cruyff's
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional Football team, football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish footb ...
and then
Fabio Capello's
A.C. Milan. The memory of this squad is still very much regarded by the fans as one of the most spectacular in São Paulo's history.
Legacy
Santana is widely credited for the re-invention of the ''jogo bonito'' ("beautiful game" in Portuguese) by the vast majority of the Brazilian press. His full-attack mentality of play was best displayed with the 1982 Brazil national squad who fell 3–2 to Italy in the Second Round of the Cup. Santana was criticized by many for refusing to switch Brazil's forward style of play versus Italy, since Brazil only needed to tie the game to reach the Semifinals due to the original World Cup setup at the time. Some pundits felt that Santana should have placed more emphasis on defence and a counterattack strategy due to circumstances of the match. Regardless of the fact that Santana never led the Brazilian squad to glory, he is still regarded as one of greatest managers and innovators in the history of Brazilian football.
With regards to role models, Santana has mentioned in one interview that he had no idols, though: "my greatest satisfaction would be to manage a team such as
1974 Holland. It was a team where you could pick
ohanCruyff and place him on the right wing. If I had to put him in the left-wing, he would still play
he same I could choose
Neeskens, who played both to the right and to the left of the midfield. Thus, everyone played in any position."
He said he tried to use a similar tactic strategy in 1992's São Paulo, by using versatile players in different positions according to what was required in a match.
He was once considered by the media the "last romantic of the Brazilian football",
and had always been a strong campaigner for the fair play and against violence in the game.
Death
In 1996, he had to retire, after suffering a stroke. He had part of his left leg amputated in 2003 because of
ischemia in his left foot. He was operated at Hospital Felício Roxo, in
Belo Horizonte.
Santana died on April 21, 2006, due to an abdominal infection. His body was buried at Cemitério Parque da Colina, in Belo Horizonte.
His wife Ivonete and their son and daughter survive him.
Honours
As a Player
;Club
*1951 -
Campeonato Carioca (
Fluminense)
*1952 -
Copa Rio (Fluminense)
*1957 -
Torneio Rio-São Paulo (Fluminense)
*1959 -
Campeonato Carioca (Fluminense)
*1960 -
Torneio Rio-São Paulo (Fluminense)
As a Manager
;Club
*1969 -
Taça Guanabara and
Campeonato Carioca (
Fluminense)
*1970 -
Campeonato Mineiro (
Atlético Mineiro)
*1971 -
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...
(Atlético Mineiro)
*1977 -
Campeonato Gaúcho (
Grêmio)
*1983 -
King's Cup
__NOTOC__
King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to:
Sports Football
* Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football
* King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nat ...
(
Al-Ahli)
*1984 -
Saudi League (Al-Ahli)
*1985 -
Gulf Club Champions Cup (Al-Ahli)
*1988 - Campeonato Mineiro (Atlético Mineiro)
*1989 - Taça Guanabara (
Flamengo)
*1991 - Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
)
*1991, 1992 -
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the FPF, the league is contested between 16 clubs and ty ...
(São Paulo)
*1992, 1993 -
Copa Libertadores and
Intercontinental Cup (São Paulo)
*1993 -
Supercopa Sudamericana (São Paulo)
*1993, 1994 -
Recopa Sudamericana (São Paulo)
*1994 -
Copa CONMEBOL (São Paulo)
;Individual
*1992 -
South American Coach of the Year
Notes
References
*''Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro'', Volume 2 – Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santana, Tele
1931 births
2006 deaths
Sportspeople from Minas Gerais
Association football wingers
Brazilian footballers
Brazilian football managers
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A managers
Expatriate football managers in Saudi Arabia
1982 FIFA World Cup managers
1986 FIFA World Cup managers
Fluminense FC players
Guarani FC players
CR Vasco da Gama players
Fluminense FC managers
Clube Atlético Mineiro managers
São Paulo FC managers
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas managers
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense managers
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras managers
Brazil national football team managers
Al-Ahli Saudi FC managers
CR Flamengo managers
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia