Background
Garrincha was born on October 28, 1933, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Garrincha was born on October 28, 1933, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Garrincha was known amongst footballing scouts but did not arrive in professional football until his late teens; he had no interest in a professional career despite his immense talent.
Garrincha joined the Rio Janeiro club Botafogo in 1953, and recorded a hat trick in his first-team debut that July. Although he was passed over for a spot on the Brazilian team for the 1954 World Cup, he quickly became known for his dazzling dribbling displays and confounding moves that left defenders helpless. His entertaining style of play earned him more nicknames, including "Alegria do Povo"—Joy of the People.
The winger was named to the Brazilian squad for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, and with A Seleção boasting a formidable unit that included Didi, Zagallo, Vava and a gifted 17-year-old named Pelé, they claimed the country's first championship.
Four years later, when Pelé was injured early during the World Cup in Chile, Garrincha took center stage. He knocked home a pair of goals against England in the quarterfinals and two more against the host country in the semifinals, and after Brazil held off Czechoslovakia for its second straight championship, he was named the tournament's best player.
Due in large part to Garrincha's struggles with a knee injury, the Brazilians failed to advance from the first round of the 1966 World Cup in England. Garrincha's final game in the tournament was a 3-1 loss to Hungary; remarkably, it was his only loss in 50 career international appearances.
After winning three Carioca State Championships and a pair of Rio–São Paulo Tournaments with Botafogo, Garrincha was sold to the São Paulo–based Corinthians in 1966. He won one more Rio–São Paulo Tournament with Corinthians before moving on to stints with Atlético Junior and Flamengo, and finishing his career with Olaria in 1972.
Gqrrincha is regarded by many in the sport to be one of the best dribblers and footballers in football history. He was voted into the World Team of the 20th Century by 250 of the world's most respected football writers and journalists, came seventh in the FIFA Player of the Century grand jury vote, and was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team. He was inducted into the Brazilian Football Hall of Fame.
A multi-use stadium in Brasilia, Estádio Mané Garrincha, is named after him. His career was presented in the 1962 film Garrincha, Alegria do Povo, and in 2003, another movie, called Garrincha – Estrela Solitária ("Lonely Star"), based on Ruy Castro's book, depicted his life on and off the field.
Garrincha was known for his hard-partying lifestyle. Garrincha lost control over his life as he spiraled into alcoholism.
Physical Characteristics: A series of birth defects left him with a deformed spine and a left leg that was six centimeters shorter than his right one; furthermore, he was small for his age, prompting his sister to nickname him "Garrincha," the Portuguese word for wren. Regardless, the youngster overcame the physical odds to become one of the impoverished area's most talented soccer players.
Quotes from others about the person
"In the entire history of football no one made more people happy. When he was out there, the pitch was a circus ring, the ball a tamed animal, the match a party invitation. Garrincha nurtured his pet, the ball, and together they created such mischief that people almost died laughing. He jumped over it, it gambolled around him, hid itself away, skipped off and made him run after it. And on the way, his opponents ran into each other."
— Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan writer.
Manuel married multiple times, with Brazilian samba singer Elza Soares among his wives, and is believed to have fathered at least 14 children.
