Background
Didi was born into a poor family in the city of Campos, 150 miles north of Rio de Janeiro in 1928. As a youngster, he sold peanuts in order to help his family, and began playing football in the streets.
1957
Garrincha & Didi
Didi in World Cup
Stockholm, Sweden
Brazilian football player Didi smoking seated in a bus at the 1958 FIFA World Cup Stockholm.
Garrincha & Didi
Didi in World Cup
Stockholm, Sweden
Brazilian football player Didi smoking seated in a bus at the 1958 FIFA World Cup Stockholm.
Didi was born into a poor family in the city of Campos, 150 miles north of Rio de Janeiro in 1928. As a youngster, he sold peanuts in order to help his family, and began playing football in the streets.
Didi played for some clubs in Campos dos Goytacazes. He became professional playing for Americano de Campos and came to prominence when he joined Fluminense in 1949. During seven seasons with the club he won the Campeonato carioca in 1951 and 1952 Copa Rio.
During the 1954 World Cup he scored goals against Mexico and Yugoslavia, before Brazil's defeat to the favorites Hungary. This match was known as the Battle of Berne; Didi was involved with the brawl that followed this bad-tempered match.
At club level, he moved to Botafogo, winning the Campeonato Carioca (Rio state championship) in 1957. Didi had previously promised to walk from the Maracanã to his house, in the neighbourhood of Laranjeiras (9,4 km), in his kit, if Botafogo won the championship; 5,000 Botafogo fans joined him as he did so.
His greatest achievement came at the 1958 FIFA World Cup where he was player of the tournament. From midfield, he masterminded the first of his two FIFA World Cup successes for Brazil. In 68 international matches he scored 20 goals, including a dozen using his trademark free-kicks.
In 1959 he was signed by Real Madrid of Spain. Despite his great reputation after the 1958 FIFA World Cup, he played only 19 matches with 6 goals for the Spaniards and often clashed with the team leader Alfredo Di Stéfano, who felt offended by the divide in the fans' attention with this newcomer; this situation precipitated his exit from the club. After success at the 1962 FIFA World Cup, he decided to become a coach.
After retiring as player he began a coach career with Sporting Cristal, and was called to manage the Peru national team in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. That team included stars like Teófilo Cubillas and Héctor Chumpitaz were eventually defeated in the quarter finals by Brazil. In 1971, he managed the top Argentine club, River Plate, when he accepted a lucrative position, and had his apex in his coaching career with Fenerbahçe, guiding the team to two consecutive Turkish First Division (later named Turkish Premier Super League) titles in 1973–1974 and later in 1974–1975.
Waldyr also coached important Brazilian clubs like Bangu, Fluminense, Botafogo, Cruzeiro, Peruvian club Alianza Lima, Kuwaiti national team and Al-Ahli teams.
In 2000 Waldyr was quite ill and died the following year in Rio de Janeiro, at the age of 72, after contracting pneumonia from complications arising from intestinal cancer.
Didi is considered to be one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the sport, and was renowned for his range of passing, stamina and technique. A dead-ball specialist, he became famous for inventing the folha seca (dry leaf) free kicks, notably used by modern-day players such as Ronaldinho and Juninho, where the ball would swerve downward unexpectedly at a point resulting in a goal.
In October 2000, Waldyr was inducted into the FIFA Hall of Champions.
Physical Characteristics: Didi nearly had his right leg amputated when he was 14 due to a severe infection following an injury to his knee.
Waldyr married, first, in 1949 (dissolved 1951), Maria Luisa Negrinhao. He is survived by his second wife, Guiomar, and by a daughter from each marriage.
