Career
Well known for his tireless work-rate, energetic style of play, and tactical awareness. He was also known for his vision and passing range as a deep-lying playmaker. Cerezo is commonly regarded as one of the finest Brazilian defensive midfielders of all time, most notably having played for his hometown"s team Clube.
Throughout his career, Cerezo played as a defensive midfielder with,,, and the Brazilian national team
. In 1997, he retired as a player, and, after doing some studies and probations in Italy, he returned to Brazil, and start a career as a manager at Vitória, reaching the semifinals of the Brasileirão Série A. He also led Japanese powerhouse in the J. League for six years. After his time in Japan, he coached Brazilian clubs, and Guarani, as well as some Asian clubs, such as First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Hilal,, First Rate (at Lloyd's) Ain.
He later returned to Brazil once again as head manager of Sport do Recife, leaving the club just one month later. He was also due to go to the 1986 tournament, but a hamstring injury in May ruled him out of the upcoming World Cup.
At the 1982 Fédération internationale de football association World Cup one of his back passes was intercepted by Italian striker Paolo Rossi, who went on to score.
The match ended in a 2–3 loss to Italy, which also saw Rossi score a hat-trick, and as a result, Brazil were knocked out of the tournament in a dramatic upset. Player = Club = Individual Manager = Club J. J.