Thanks!
The Americas Draft
- Thread starter Chesterlestreet
- Start date
Thanks!
Some player profiles for my lesser known players-
Julinho
Individual Accomplishments:
Voted 73rd Best Player of the twentieth century by Score
Brazil Football Hall of Fame
World Soccer World XI: 1960
Team Accomplishments:
1957 European Cup Runner-up
Serie A Champion: 1956
1953 Copa America Runner-Up
Campeonato Paulista 1959, 1963, 1966
Campeonato Pan-Americano: 1956
Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1952, 1955, 1965
Taça Brasil: 1960
Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa: 1967
Copa Rocca: 1960
Profile:
"The man who shut up Maracanã" - considered to be one of the greatest wingers in the history of football, and the best right winger Brazil has produced after Garrincha and Jairzinho - Julinho was a technically gifted, powerful, tricky, goalscoring winger with remarkable dribbling skills - in typical Brazilian mold. One of the great tragedies of Julinho's international career was the fact that in the 1950s, most South American national teams did not select their foreign-based players. However, Brazil asked Julinho to return to the national team for the World Cuo Finals in 1958. They even suggested that he would meet them in Europe after they arrived for the World Cup Finals. However, Julinho did not want to take a spot of a regular player who fought the World Cup qualifiers and the buildup and tuned the invitation down. If he had taken the spot, Brazil would have dropped Garrincha, who was the backup right wing leading up to the World Cup Finals. The rest as they say is history - Garrincha ascended to godly status in Julinho's right forward role - and Julinho could only play a leading part in the 1954 World Cup (with the likes of Didi, Nilton Santos, Djalma Santos) - scoring 2 goals before losing to Puskás's Magyars in the quarterfinal - a match dubbed the Battle of Bern where 3 players were sent off. Consequently, he missed out on Brazil's era of great success with the 1958 and 1962 World Cups - sandwiched between the heartbreak of 1950 - which became immortalized in wider public consciousness. At club level, Julinho played for Juventus and Portuguesa; and after joining Fiorentina was fundamental for the team to conquer their first Scudetto, apart from reaching the European Cup final vs Di Stéfano's Madrid. Here, Julinho will provide genius level of wingplay and a secondary goal threat from wider areas.
Profile taken from @Invictus @Šjor Bepo
Canhoteiro
Individual Accomplishments:
Club Career Appearances 415 with 103 goals (that averages around 9 to 10 goals in a 38 game season)
Rated as the best Brazilian Left Winger by Big Soccer
Profile:
Pele when asked about his admired footballers childhood, did not hesitate in pointing to two: Zizinho, and Canhoteiro. Although the first went to the great history thanks to his stay at Flamengo, and have been one of the best players in the 1950 World Cup in his country, the other we know little or nothing so far.
Born under the name of José Ribamar de Oliveira, Canhoteiro came into the world in the city of Coroatá, on September 24, 1932, and although just got to measure 1.68 meters tall, or perhaps because of this quality, and its axis nearby ground movements, remained for most of his career at the left end position, highlighted by a huge rivals to pull out over skill. His nickname portrays: "The Left Garrincha".
Born in Brazil within a humble family, and from an early age began to show an innate ability with the ball. Everyone knew in the neighborhood that little Joseph, the son of Don Cecilio, was different from the others, played to something else. At that time, the players were not well regarded by society and her father, fearful that his son was to err on the choice of way of life, he underwent a tight marking. Locked in a room, with books open and his right leg, good, tied to the leg of the table so that it could not move. So Joseph spent afternoons and paradoxically so began to feel free. As his father out the door, the child eyes off the books, a ball of paper was manufactured and started stamping feet left leg, her free.Hours and hours locked in a room hitting a ball of paper. Thousands of embaixadinhas that forge which today is considered best lefty in the history of Brazilian football.
Don Cecilio attempts to make his son a man of honorable reputation were in vain and that fame often zurdito grew, first on the team in his neighborhood, the Caroate, and later in San Luis Paysandu. In those years his nickname and his first contact with his other passion, music emerge. Discovered by a scout of Sao Paulo, auditioned for the tricolor whole. Turcao, considered one of the toughest defenders in the country, offered to "prove" the value of the fine end. At the end of the clash, he approached his coach and said " What am I going to do? It is good and fast. It 's good because I haggle with the waist and is fast because it has not even let me kick him. Fichen him . "
He soon began to delight fans who flocked to see in action the inventor of the " solavanco " a dribble with which baffled rivals just moving the body. Embaucaba his waist, he showed them the way, tore running with the feet nailed to the ground, motionless ball and sewn to borceguí. He shook the contrary, he threw fired toward the side of deceit and left the way clear , leaving just him and the ball. Tell that to Antoninho, former player of Palmeiras, which had to be withdrawn because of injury by falling down the stairs of a newly Morumbi inauguarado after suffering the effects of devastating Canhoteiro waist.
Mythical it was his duels with Idario, lateral hard Corinthians, which according to chronicles dribbled 14 times consecutively in the final of the Paulista Championship 57. At the end of the meeting, Canhoto, as embarrassed by what happened, decided to invite his opponent a drink, emerging since then a great friendship between them. They have even reached an agreement, whereby each four plays Joseph would snatch the ball once. That was Canhoteiro, the player who wanted to have fun without disturbing, who asked his colleagues not pass him the ball more to not humiliate the opponent.
Certainly that Sao Paulo champion Paulista was trained by one of the most romantic characters in the history of football, the legendary Béla Guttmann, who questioned the reason for leaving out the technical talks to Zizinho and Canhoteiro said " and hese two did not need to know anything else, what I could tell . "
(Canhoteiro is next to Pele)
World was approaching 58 and the Brazilian people dreamed that the front formed by Garrincha, Didi, Vava, Pele and Canhoteiro got uproot the stigma of Maracanazo. But in a concentration of selection, Canhoto, as he had done on many other occasions, he left the concentration to play incognito in a nightclub. The fat Feola, Brazil coach had imposed a strict internal regime and did not miss that act of indiscipline, relieving lefty Mario Lobo Zagallo by. In the words of singer Chico Buarque, Feola deprived the world to see the left-handed Canhoteiro; Brazil kept to himself his most precious treasure.
Those who knew him say that really meant a release for paulista; some even say that intentionally caused the incident, it was real panic to fly and was not convinced of going to a destination as far away as Sweden. Your World should have been 62, in Chile, a destination much closer, but two serious knee injuries, the first in 1961, were shutting down the brightness of your game without ever were to regain their level.
After retirement, his years as former athletes they led him gradually falling into poverty and vices, especially alcohol, why she began to have severe health problems, which ultimately produced his death in August 1974 because of stroke, when he was 42 years old.
Julinho
Individual Accomplishments:
Voted 73rd Best Player of the twentieth century by Score
Brazil Football Hall of Fame
World Soccer World XI: 1960
Team Accomplishments:
1957 European Cup Runner-up
Serie A Champion: 1956
1953 Copa America Runner-Up
Campeonato Paulista 1959, 1963, 1966
Campeonato Pan-Americano: 1956
Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1952, 1955, 1965
Taça Brasil: 1960
Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa: 1967
Copa Rocca: 1960
Profile:
"The man who shut up Maracanã" - considered to be one of the greatest wingers in the history of football, and the best right winger Brazil has produced after Garrincha and Jairzinho - Julinho was a technically gifted, powerful, tricky, goalscoring winger with remarkable dribbling skills - in typical Brazilian mold. One of the great tragedies of Julinho's international career was the fact that in the 1950s, most South American national teams did not select their foreign-based players. However, Brazil asked Julinho to return to the national team for the World Cuo Finals in 1958. They even suggested that he would meet them in Europe after they arrived for the World Cup Finals. However, Julinho did not want to take a spot of a regular player who fought the World Cup qualifiers and the buildup and tuned the invitation down. If he had taken the spot, Brazil would have dropped Garrincha, who was the backup right wing leading up to the World Cup Finals. The rest as they say is history - Garrincha ascended to godly status in Julinho's right forward role - and Julinho could only play a leading part in the 1954 World Cup (with the likes of Didi, Nilton Santos, Djalma Santos) - scoring 2 goals before losing to Puskás's Magyars in the quarterfinal - a match dubbed the Battle of Bern where 3 players were sent off. Consequently, he missed out on Brazil's era of great success with the 1958 and 1962 World Cups - sandwiched between the heartbreak of 1950 - which became immortalized in wider public consciousness. At club level, Julinho played for Juventus and Portuguesa; and after joining Fiorentina was fundamental for the team to conquer their first Scudetto, apart from reaching the European Cup final vs Di Stéfano's Madrid. Here, Julinho will provide genius level of wingplay and a secondary goal threat from wider areas.
Profile taken from @Invictus @Šjor Bepo
Canhoteiro
Individual Accomplishments:
Club Career Appearances 415 with 103 goals (that averages around 9 to 10 goals in a 38 game season)
Rated as the best Brazilian Left Winger by Big Soccer
Profile:
Pele when asked about his admired footballers childhood, did not hesitate in pointing to two: Zizinho, and Canhoteiro. Although the first went to the great history thanks to his stay at Flamengo, and have been one of the best players in the 1950 World Cup in his country, the other we know little or nothing so far.
Born under the name of José Ribamar de Oliveira, Canhoteiro came into the world in the city of Coroatá, on September 24, 1932, and although just got to measure 1.68 meters tall, or perhaps because of this quality, and its axis nearby ground movements, remained for most of his career at the left end position, highlighted by a huge rivals to pull out over skill. His nickname portrays: "The Left Garrincha".
Born in Brazil within a humble family, and from an early age began to show an innate ability with the ball. Everyone knew in the neighborhood that little Joseph, the son of Don Cecilio, was different from the others, played to something else. At that time, the players were not well regarded by society and her father, fearful that his son was to err on the choice of way of life, he underwent a tight marking. Locked in a room, with books open and his right leg, good, tied to the leg of the table so that it could not move. So Joseph spent afternoons and paradoxically so began to feel free. As his father out the door, the child eyes off the books, a ball of paper was manufactured and started stamping feet left leg, her free.Hours and hours locked in a room hitting a ball of paper. Thousands of embaixadinhas that forge which today is considered best lefty in the history of Brazilian football.
Don Cecilio attempts to make his son a man of honorable reputation were in vain and that fame often zurdito grew, first on the team in his neighborhood, the Caroate, and later in San Luis Paysandu. In those years his nickname and his first contact with his other passion, music emerge. Discovered by a scout of Sao Paulo, auditioned for the tricolor whole. Turcao, considered one of the toughest defenders in the country, offered to "prove" the value of the fine end. At the end of the clash, he approached his coach and said " What am I going to do? It is good and fast. It 's good because I haggle with the waist and is fast because it has not even let me kick him. Fichen him . "
He soon began to delight fans who flocked to see in action the inventor of the " solavanco " a dribble with which baffled rivals just moving the body. Embaucaba his waist, he showed them the way, tore running with the feet nailed to the ground, motionless ball and sewn to borceguí. He shook the contrary, he threw fired toward the side of deceit and left the way clear , leaving just him and the ball. Tell that to Antoninho, former player of Palmeiras, which had to be withdrawn because of injury by falling down the stairs of a newly Morumbi inauguarado after suffering the effects of devastating Canhoteiro waist.
Mythical it was his duels with Idario, lateral hard Corinthians, which according to chronicles dribbled 14 times consecutively in the final of the Paulista Championship 57. At the end of the meeting, Canhoto, as embarrassed by what happened, decided to invite his opponent a drink, emerging since then a great friendship between them. They have even reached an agreement, whereby each four plays Joseph would snatch the ball once. That was Canhoteiro, the player who wanted to have fun without disturbing, who asked his colleagues not pass him the ball more to not humiliate the opponent.
Certainly that Sao Paulo champion Paulista was trained by one of the most romantic characters in the history of football, the legendary Béla Guttmann, who questioned the reason for leaving out the technical talks to Zizinho and Canhoteiro said " and hese two did not need to know anything else, what I could tell . "
(Canhoteiro is next to Pele)
World was approaching 58 and the Brazilian people dreamed that the front formed by Garrincha, Didi, Vava, Pele and Canhoteiro got uproot the stigma of Maracanazo. But in a concentration of selection, Canhoto, as he had done on many other occasions, he left the concentration to play incognito in a nightclub. The fat Feola, Brazil coach had imposed a strict internal regime and did not miss that act of indiscipline, relieving lefty Mario Lobo Zagallo by. In the words of singer Chico Buarque, Feola deprived the world to see the left-handed Canhoteiro; Brazil kept to himself his most precious treasure.
Those who knew him say that really meant a release for paulista; some even say that intentionally caused the incident, it was real panic to fly and was not convinced of going to a destination as far away as Sweden. Your World should have been 62, in Chile, a destination much closer, but two serious knee injuries, the first in 1961, were shutting down the brightness of your game without ever were to regain their level.
After retirement, his years as former athletes they led him gradually falling into poverty and vices, especially alcohol, why she began to have severe health problems, which ultimately produced his death in August 1974 because of stroke, when he was 42 years old.
Guillermo Delgado
Individual Accomplishments:
He won title in Peru in '52 and '53
46th best CB of all-time according to xtratime.org
Profile:
He is one of the best defenders in the Peruvian history ahead with Melendez and Chumpitaz. His technical quality, strength, anticipation, commitment and agility made him one of the best defenders of his time in South American football. He played 36 international matches in the football team of Peru between 1952 and 1957.
Those who were lucky enough to see play Guillermo Delgado, we must recognize that it was the largest and most elegant central defender Peruvian soccer. Great personality and was enforced on and off the field. He exuded sympathy and despite being tough on his plays, did not harm the opponent. Little did expulsions and bad behavior never stopped footsteps. Quite the opposite. An example for our youth
We give you the idea that he started playing football as all children and young people of Peru. On the street and perhaps with the rag ball, good element to achieve mastery and exercise the muscles.
Taken mostly from: pelotadetrapo-numerocinco.blogspot.co.uk
Luis Artime
Individual Accomplishments:
Top Scorer-
Argentine Primera Division: 1962, 1963, 1966,1967
South American Championship 1967 (the old Copa America)
Uruguayan Primera Division: 1969,1970, 1971
Copa Libertadores: 1971
Copa Intercontinental: 1971
Stats-
At Nacional scored 61 goals in 56 games between '69-'71
Argentina 24 in 25 games
236 goals in 302 career appearences
3 goals in 4 games 66' World Cup (tbf all group stages but was part of the controversial Arg vs Eng game)
48th best striker of All-Time BigSoccer
31st best striker of All-Time xtraimmortal
Profile:
Luis Artime is the greatest Argentinean footballers during the 1960s. He scored more than 1000 goals including unofficial matches during his career. Artime was a heavy scorer, possessed exceptional intuition to locate within the right place with short touch superb goal poacher and finisher without a special technique. He had a remarkably successful career in club football. His best skill was shot accuracy. Artime played for Argentine giants River Plate for three years. Then, He also played for Independiente, Palmeiras, and soon left to join Nacional of Uruguay where his first spell was the most productive of his career. In late career, He tried his luck in Brazil for a second time, but returned to Nacional again after only one season at Fluminense. His strike rate of 0.96 goals per game for Argentina also makes him one of the most prolific goalscorers in Argentine international football. In 1966, he is regarded as one of the very top players in the South Americas.
Watch at 7:08 to his goal
Individual Accomplishments:
He won title in Peru in '52 and '53
46th best CB of all-time according to xtratime.org
Profile:
He is one of the best defenders in the Peruvian history ahead with Melendez and Chumpitaz. His technical quality, strength, anticipation, commitment and agility made him one of the best defenders of his time in South American football. He played 36 international matches in the football team of Peru between 1952 and 1957.
Those who were lucky enough to see play Guillermo Delgado, we must recognize that it was the largest and most elegant central defender Peruvian soccer. Great personality and was enforced on and off the field. He exuded sympathy and despite being tough on his plays, did not harm the opponent. Little did expulsions and bad behavior never stopped footsteps. Quite the opposite. An example for our youth
We give you the idea that he started playing football as all children and young people of Peru. On the street and perhaps with the rag ball, good element to achieve mastery and exercise the muscles.
Taken mostly from: pelotadetrapo-numerocinco.blogspot.co.uk
Former Alianza Lima player Manuel Grimaldo said:
Luis Artime
Individual Accomplishments:
Top Scorer-
Argentine Primera Division: 1962, 1963, 1966,1967
South American Championship 1967 (the old Copa America)
Uruguayan Primera Division: 1969,1970, 1971
Copa Libertadores: 1971
Copa Intercontinental: 1971
Stats-
At Nacional scored 61 goals in 56 games between '69-'71
Argentina 24 in 25 games
236 goals in 302 career appearences
3 goals in 4 games 66' World Cup (tbf all group stages but was part of the controversial Arg vs Eng game)
48th best striker of All-Time BigSoccer
31st best striker of All-Time xtraimmortal
Profile:
Luis Artime is the greatest Argentinean footballers during the 1960s. He scored more than 1000 goals including unofficial matches during his career. Artime was a heavy scorer, possessed exceptional intuition to locate within the right place with short touch superb goal poacher and finisher without a special technique. He had a remarkably successful career in club football. His best skill was shot accuracy. Artime played for Argentine giants River Plate for three years. Then, He also played for Independiente, Palmeiras, and soon left to join Nacional of Uruguay where his first spell was the most productive of his career. In late career, He tried his luck in Brazil for a second time, but returned to Nacional again after only one season at Fluminense. His strike rate of 0.96 goals per game for Argentina also makes him one of the most prolific goalscorers in Argentine international football. In 1966, he is regarded as one of the very top players in the South Americas.
Luis Artime on himself said:
Watch at 7:08 to his goal
And a few videos and stats for my other players:
Hector Chumpitaz
Rene Higuita
Teofilo Cubillas
117 goals in 175 games for Alianza Lima
48 in 85 for Porto
Carlos Valderrama
This vid vs Argentina is awesome.
Hector Chumpitaz
Rene Higuita
Teofilo Cubillas
117 goals in 175 games for Alianza Lima
48 in 85 for Porto
Carlos Valderrama
This vid vs Argentina is awesome.
Does anyone know how to link to a specific part of a page so I can link these in my OP?
Click on the post number (#1524 in your case), it'll give you the direct link to this message
The Americas Draft
Awesome thanks for that. All set for Friday now.
Gents, can you clarify what you mean by this?
You want me to start the match just past midnight (UTC) on Friday?
@P-Nut0712 @Downcast @BorisDeLeFora
They probably mean before 12PM BST - or morning start
Ah, yes - that makes more sense.
Sorry Chester yeah I start work at 6 in the morning so any time around then is perfect for me. Depends if Boris is OK with that though
Doing a write up now. @MounchesterUtd @Chesterlestreet Should be done in a couple of hours.
Does this happen even if you click reply on the PM and then copy it from there?
That works - not 100% sure on bullet points, but colours transfer fine.
So, basically - disregard the notice and carry on!
So, basically - disregard the notice and carry on!
I had that problem with the Billy No Mates draft. I spent about 40 mins re-coding an elaborately long OP and then I think EAP pointed it out to me and it made it a hell of a lot quicker.
Live and learn, eh? Thanks for the heads-up.
It looks like the formating isn't copied properly (bullet points and whatnot) - but it shows up alright when you paste it.
Ladislao Mazurkiewicz
He could be South America's all time greatest goalkeeper. To many pundits, it's beyond doubt.
I do not want to take any attention from any recently posted article, but I feel it necessary to post a short tribute entry to Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, who could well have been the greatest goal keeper in the history of the Americas, and easily one of the all time greatest in world football history.
Part of the River Plate region’s (Argentina and Uruguay) “All Time Holy Trinity” of Goalkeepers: Usbaldo Fillol (Arg), Amadeo Carrizo (Arg) and Ladislao Mazurkiewicz (Uru), we’re not talking about any keeper, but one of the true all time legends of the position ever. The first time I ever saw a video of him was when ESPN Classic played the 1966 Intercontental Final (2nd leg) between Peñarol and Real Madrid. To say that I was stunned was an understatement. I was surprised by how sad I felt to hear the news, and on the behalf of La Celeste Blog, I want to express my respect for this remarkable person. Below, I will be posting a few humorous anecdotes of his.
The Spanish press were left stunned at the 21 year old's level of skill (Intercontinental 1966 Final- Peñarol defeat the legendary 1966 Real Madrid 4-0 on Aggregate in perhaps the most iconic final of all time)
A few Anecdotes:
1. Lev Yashin meets Mazurkiewicz: In 1968, Mazurkiewicz was invited by FIFA to an ‘all star celebration’ match featuring Pélé and the all time greatest keeper ever, the Russian Lev Yashin. Yashin was so impressed with the young goalie that he gifted him his gloves after their practice together. They met in the 1970 FIFA World Cup Quarter Final (a classic), and upon his retirement in 1971, Yashin declared Mazurkiewicz to be his successor.
2. Mazurkiewicz meets the Queen of England and the Earl of Snowdon: 1966 FIFA World Cup (in England) opener, England v. Uruguay at Wembley. Loved for his sense of humour, he tried to calm his teammates before the game by jokingly taunting the Queen of England (Elizabeth II) and her husband the Earl of Snowdon as they shook hands with both teams. Upon passing the Queen, Ladislao winked at her and said: “We’re going to win today”. Upon passing the Earl of Snowdon, Ladislao said: “Vos si que estas pintado”, which is slang for “it’s as if you’re painted on a canvas”, which basically means “you really are useless here aren’t you”. His teammates stood stunned in disbelief. Apparently it worked to ease the tension before the match.
1966 World Cup Opener
3. Mazurkiewicz didn’t want to be a goalie: His first experience as a goalkeeper occurred when the 5th division keeper of Racing of Montevideo had to go to the dentist. He ended up saving 6 penalty shots that practice!
His performance in this match is astonishing. Uruguay lost 0-2 but could have lost by over 10 goals.
Games I highly recommend you to watch to see how amazing this guy really was:
– Copa Libertadores 1966 Final (3rd game)- Peñarol vs. River Plate
*Many consider it to be the greatest Copa Libertadores final of all time with 2 legendary teams meeting.
– Intercontinental Cup 1966 (2nd leg)- Real Madrid vs. Peñarol
*Many consider it to be the greatest and biggest Intercontinental final of all time with, again, 2 legendary teams meeting.
– 1970 FIFA World Cup Quarter Final- Uruguay vs. the Soviet Union
*A masterful performance to keep Uruguay in the game.
– 1974 FIFA World Cup Group- Uruguay vs. the Netherlands
*a game where Uruguay would have lost 13-0 had it not been for him.
"El Chiquito" was famous for his all black uniform. He said it made him invisible to strikers who had no time to check for his position.
Awards
*Note: This was during an era where the Uruguayan league was one of the best in the world, and the Brazilian league was easily the world’s greatest.
Club
1x Copa Libertadores- 1966 (Peñarol)
1x FIFA Intercontinental Cup- 1966 (Peñarol)
3x Uruguayan Championship- 1967, 1968, 1981. (Peñarol)
1x Brazilian Championship- 1971 (Atletico Mineiro)
National Team
1x South American Championship/Copa America- 1967 (Uruguay)
1970 FIFA World Cup Award: Best Goalkeeper of the tournament
FIFA World Cup Appearances: 1966, 1970, 1974
Source: La Celeste Blog
He could be South America's all time greatest goalkeeper. To many pundits, it's beyond doubt.
I do not want to take any attention from any recently posted article, but I feel it necessary to post a short tribute entry to Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, who could well have been the greatest goal keeper in the history of the Americas, and easily one of the all time greatest in world football history.
Part of the River Plate region’s (Argentina and Uruguay) “All Time Holy Trinity” of Goalkeepers: Usbaldo Fillol (Arg), Amadeo Carrizo (Arg) and Ladislao Mazurkiewicz (Uru), we’re not talking about any keeper, but one of the true all time legends of the position ever. The first time I ever saw a video of him was when ESPN Classic played the 1966 Intercontental Final (2nd leg) between Peñarol and Real Madrid. To say that I was stunned was an understatement. I was surprised by how sad I felt to hear the news, and on the behalf of La Celeste Blog, I want to express my respect for this remarkable person. Below, I will be posting a few humorous anecdotes of his.
The Spanish press were left stunned at the 21 year old's level of skill (Intercontinental 1966 Final- Peñarol defeat the legendary 1966 Real Madrid 4-0 on Aggregate in perhaps the most iconic final of all time)
A few Anecdotes:
1. Lev Yashin meets Mazurkiewicz: In 1968, Mazurkiewicz was invited by FIFA to an ‘all star celebration’ match featuring Pélé and the all time greatest keeper ever, the Russian Lev Yashin. Yashin was so impressed with the young goalie that he gifted him his gloves after their practice together. They met in the 1970 FIFA World Cup Quarter Final (a classic), and upon his retirement in 1971, Yashin declared Mazurkiewicz to be his successor.
2. Mazurkiewicz meets the Queen of England and the Earl of Snowdon: 1966 FIFA World Cup (in England) opener, England v. Uruguay at Wembley. Loved for his sense of humour, he tried to calm his teammates before the game by jokingly taunting the Queen of England (Elizabeth II) and her husband the Earl of Snowdon as they shook hands with both teams. Upon passing the Queen, Ladislao winked at her and said: “We’re going to win today”. Upon passing the Earl of Snowdon, Ladislao said: “Vos si que estas pintado”, which is slang for “it’s as if you’re painted on a canvas”, which basically means “you really are useless here aren’t you”. His teammates stood stunned in disbelief. Apparently it worked to ease the tension before the match.
1966 World Cup Opener
3. Mazurkiewicz didn’t want to be a goalie: His first experience as a goalkeeper occurred when the 5th division keeper of Racing of Montevideo had to go to the dentist. He ended up saving 6 penalty shots that practice!
His performance in this match is astonishing. Uruguay lost 0-2 but could have lost by over 10 goals.
Games I highly recommend you to watch to see how amazing this guy really was:
– Copa Libertadores 1966 Final (3rd game)- Peñarol vs. River Plate
*Many consider it to be the greatest Copa Libertadores final of all time with 2 legendary teams meeting.
– Intercontinental Cup 1966 (2nd leg)- Real Madrid vs. Peñarol
*Many consider it to be the greatest and biggest Intercontinental final of all time with, again, 2 legendary teams meeting.
– 1970 FIFA World Cup Quarter Final- Uruguay vs. the Soviet Union
*A masterful performance to keep Uruguay in the game.
– 1974 FIFA World Cup Group- Uruguay vs. the Netherlands
*a game where Uruguay would have lost 13-0 had it not been for him.
"El Chiquito" was famous for his all black uniform. He said it made him invisible to strikers who had no time to check for his position.
Awards
*Note: This was during an era where the Uruguayan league was one of the best in the world, and the Brazilian league was easily the world’s greatest.
Club
1x Copa Libertadores- 1966 (Peñarol)
1x FIFA Intercontinental Cup- 1966 (Peñarol)
3x Uruguayan Championship- 1967, 1968, 1981. (Peñarol)
1x Brazilian Championship- 1971 (Atletico Mineiro)
National Team
1x South American Championship/Copa America- 1967 (Uruguay)
1970 FIFA World Cup Award: Best Goalkeeper of the tournament
FIFA World Cup Appearances: 1966, 1970, 1974
Source: La Celeste Blog
Rubén Sosa – Uruguay’s Little Prince, a Poet of the Goal
How do you describe the greatest moment in a professional footballer’s career? Scoring the winning goal against a European giant in one of the most elite cup competitions at the mere age of 20? Being crowned the kings of Europe almost a decade later with another European powerhouse? Winning another top European league in another two years? Or winning two Copa titles for your country? None of these probably apply to you if you are Rubén Sosa, because you would rather spend time with youngsters teaching them the tricks of your trade.
Rubén Sosa Arzaiz was born on April 25, 1966 in Piedras Blancas, a suburb in Montevideo. He was born to play football, and was a class apart from a very tender age. So, even though he started working at a poultry to support his family—he had 10 siblings , the perfect number for organizing a football match—he went on to become a part of one of the best quarries in Uruguay and South America, the Danubio, when he was only 15. He recalls his foundation days with a great deal of gratitude: “The Danube provides everyone with an excellent training facility. It takes great care of youngsters who are raring to go. In fact, even if you’re old, you do have conditions to make you feel like a debutant.”
Sosa was drafted into the national side quite early in his career. It was on his national duty against Argentina that Avelino Chaves, then a technical secretary team member of Real Zaragoza, spotted the canny left footed youngster and wasted no time in signing him in 1984. In Sosa’s own words: “I was about to leave for England that week when Zaragoza approached me. I did not hesitate. I went there on a Sunday and Monday I signed. I found some great people, a leadership that protected me because they knew I was still a child. Avelino Chaves was like my dad in Zaragoza, he talked to me, soothed me, and encouraged me. I would like to thank all members of staff, especially Pedro Herrera, I was ‘adopted’ as his younger brother, and Cedrún, with whom I still have some contact. “(1)
The move paid off almost immediately as he clinched the Copa del Rey in 1986, scoring in the final against FC Barcelona at Vicente Calderon. It was 35 minutes when the referee awarded a free kick about 25 meters away from the goal for a foul on “The Little Prince” (Sosa was called so in Uruguay as Enzo Francéscoli was referred to as “The Prince”). As Sosa put it: “I did not think that the defender hit me to break my leg. I was lucky because the ball hit the wall, I think (it was) Pichi Alonso and misled the goalkeeper. It was great, and time to start the party. We were the Cup Champions!!!” This was truly a memorable event for the club, which had last tasted success in 1966 (when Sosa was barely a month old)!
His achievements did not go unnoticed as the pocket striker, nicknamed Sosita, “El Principito” or Peter (of Peter Pan fame) for his small stature (a skinny lad with a height of 1.72 m) was selected to the national side for the Copa 1987. This was no mean feat as Uruguay was a very strong side then. Being the defending champions, Uruguay entered the competition at the semifinal stage. Sosa started the match—and the subsequent final—and made his presence felt in a title winning campaign. His name started doing rounds with another legend of that era, Enzo Francéscoli.
Enzo Francescoli and Rubén Sosa together in the Uruguay team photo of 1987 Copa America
With his short stature, tapered legs and stocky, overstuffed torso, Sosa looked like anyone but an athlete. That, as we all know, was an illusion—especially for the defenders who dared to ignore him due to his appearance. He was, in fact, one of the swiftest sprinters with sudden outbursts of speed that left his markers dumbfounded. How such a stiff and top-heavy person could transform into such an act of balanced grace still remains a mystery. He was forever ready to skim over a cushion of air. Sosa is best remembered for his image of speeding down the left wing, with his trunk slightly forward, his head erect, like a trotter racing down the homestretch.
Sosa was more than a prolific striker—he was a true showman. He had earned nicknames like “The Poet of the Goal” and “Speedy Gonzalez” for his craftsmanship. He would never shy away from deft-flicks, a bullet header, or a 30-metre toe-poker. He is best-remembered for his spectacular efforts and thunderous free kicks. Most of his goals came from moves beginning at midfield or just inside the half-line. He scarcely has an easy goal to his name. He was not a typical no. 9 or goal poacher who would be playing on the shoulder of the last defender. Rather, he was a complete forward who could shoot or volley from a distance, dribble or provide assists for others, and move deeper and create space for others to exploit. It is no coincidence that he was one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, much like today’s Luis Suárez.
On a personal front, Sosa had a very satisfying Copa 1989. He finished with four goals, and won the Silver Boot. Uruguay started the final match against Brazil—tied on points as well as on goal difference and goals scored—aiming to clinch a third consecutive Copa title. However, a certain Romário had other plans, as Brazil won the match 1-0 through his winning goal and lifted the trophy after a gap of 40 years. Sosa’s mesmerizing display, though, did not go unnoticed as the man dwarfed stalwarts like Diego Maradona, Romário, Bebeto (Golden Boot winner) and Francéscoli to be awarded the Best Player of the Tournament.
Sosa’s mesmerizing display, though, did not go unnoticed as the man dwarfed stalwarts like Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Romário, Bebeto (Golden Boot winner) and Francéscoli to be awarded the Best Player of the Tournament.
to continue....
How do you describe the greatest moment in a professional footballer’s career? Scoring the winning goal against a European giant in one of the most elite cup competitions at the mere age of 20? Being crowned the kings of Europe almost a decade later with another European powerhouse? Winning another top European league in another two years? Or winning two Copa titles for your country? None of these probably apply to you if you are Rubén Sosa, because you would rather spend time with youngsters teaching them the tricks of your trade.
Rubén Sosa Arzaiz was born on April 25, 1966 in Piedras Blancas, a suburb in Montevideo. He was born to play football, and was a class apart from a very tender age. So, even though he started working at a poultry to support his family—he had 10 siblings , the perfect number for organizing a football match—he went on to become a part of one of the best quarries in Uruguay and South America, the Danubio, when he was only 15. He recalls his foundation days with a great deal of gratitude: “The Danube provides everyone with an excellent training facility. It takes great care of youngsters who are raring to go. In fact, even if you’re old, you do have conditions to make you feel like a debutant.”
Sosa was drafted into the national side quite early in his career. It was on his national duty against Argentina that Avelino Chaves, then a technical secretary team member of Real Zaragoza, spotted the canny left footed youngster and wasted no time in signing him in 1984. In Sosa’s own words: “I was about to leave for England that week when Zaragoza approached me. I did not hesitate. I went there on a Sunday and Monday I signed. I found some great people, a leadership that protected me because they knew I was still a child. Avelino Chaves was like my dad in Zaragoza, he talked to me, soothed me, and encouraged me. I would like to thank all members of staff, especially Pedro Herrera, I was ‘adopted’ as his younger brother, and Cedrún, with whom I still have some contact. “(1)
The move paid off almost immediately as he clinched the Copa del Rey in 1986, scoring in the final against FC Barcelona at Vicente Calderon. It was 35 minutes when the referee awarded a free kick about 25 meters away from the goal for a foul on “The Little Prince” (Sosa was called so in Uruguay as Enzo Francéscoli was referred to as “The Prince”). As Sosa put it: “I did not think that the defender hit me to break my leg. I was lucky because the ball hit the wall, I think (it was) Pichi Alonso and misled the goalkeeper. It was great, and time to start the party. We were the Cup Champions!!!” This was truly a memorable event for the club, which had last tasted success in 1966 (when Sosa was barely a month old)!
His achievements did not go unnoticed as the pocket striker, nicknamed Sosita, “El Principito” or Peter (of Peter Pan fame) for his small stature (a skinny lad with a height of 1.72 m) was selected to the national side for the Copa 1987. This was no mean feat as Uruguay was a very strong side then. Being the defending champions, Uruguay entered the competition at the semifinal stage. Sosa started the match—and the subsequent final—and made his presence felt in a title winning campaign. His name started doing rounds with another legend of that era, Enzo Francéscoli.
Enzo Francescoli and Rubén Sosa together in the Uruguay team photo of 1987 Copa America
With his short stature, tapered legs and stocky, overstuffed torso, Sosa looked like anyone but an athlete. That, as we all know, was an illusion—especially for the defenders who dared to ignore him due to his appearance. He was, in fact, one of the swiftest sprinters with sudden outbursts of speed that left his markers dumbfounded. How such a stiff and top-heavy person could transform into such an act of balanced grace still remains a mystery. He was forever ready to skim over a cushion of air. Sosa is best remembered for his image of speeding down the left wing, with his trunk slightly forward, his head erect, like a trotter racing down the homestretch.
Sosa was more than a prolific striker—he was a true showman. He had earned nicknames like “The Poet of the Goal” and “Speedy Gonzalez” for his craftsmanship. He would never shy away from deft-flicks, a bullet header, or a 30-metre toe-poker. He is best-remembered for his spectacular efforts and thunderous free kicks. Most of his goals came from moves beginning at midfield or just inside the half-line. He scarcely has an easy goal to his name. He was not a typical no. 9 or goal poacher who would be playing on the shoulder of the last defender. Rather, he was a complete forward who could shoot or volley from a distance, dribble or provide assists for others, and move deeper and create space for others to exploit. It is no coincidence that he was one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, much like today’s Luis Suárez.
On a personal front, Sosa had a very satisfying Copa 1989. He finished with four goals, and won the Silver Boot. Uruguay started the final match against Brazil—tied on points as well as on goal difference and goals scored—aiming to clinch a third consecutive Copa title. However, a certain Romário had other plans, as Brazil won the match 1-0 through his winning goal and lifted the trophy after a gap of 40 years. Sosa’s mesmerizing display, though, did not go unnoticed as the man dwarfed stalwarts like Diego Maradona, Romário, Bebeto (Golden Boot winner) and Francéscoli to be awarded the Best Player of the Tournament.
Sosa’s mesmerizing display, though, did not go unnoticed as the man dwarfed stalwarts like Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Romário, Bebeto (Golden Boot winner) and Francéscoli to be awarded the Best Player of the Tournament.
to continue....
Comparison with a certain Maradona was inevitable in that era. True, Sosa did not have the three-dimensional genius and creativity of Maradona. However, he made up for that with his eagerness to create openings with the ball at his feet. He did demonstrate two very different sets of skills en route to demolishing Argentina 2-0 in the final round. In the 38th minute, Sosa benefited from an error from an Argentine defender. He intercepted a back pass intended for the onrushing goalkeeper Nery Pumpido in the penalty area. Sosa, with the ball in his left foot, rounded Pumpido with ease and slotted the ball in an empty net with his right. But, if the first goal was all about awareness and lazy elegance, his second in the 81st minute was about raw pace, body strength, and composure. Sosa got the ball near touchline in his own half, and everyone who thought that he was too far from the goalpost was about to be proved wrong. “Speedy Gonzalez” ran with the ball hogging the touchline— effortlessly beating his marker in speed. Midway in the “La Albiceleste” half, he started coming inside and shrugged off the shoulder charge from his second marker. By this time, he was inside the penalty area and Pumpido had narrowed down the angle. However, Sosa flicked the ball with his left toe inside the far post with amazing composure while still running in full throttle. The goal went unnoticed in most part of the world due to the lack of live coverage at that time, but the Latin American media went ga ga over it. It was, indeed a great goal, as proven by the fact that it was referred to and compared with Gareth Bale’s wonder solo effort last year against Barcelona.
Sosa went to the World Cup 1990, his only ever World Cup, with high hopes. Unfortunately, the tournament was a disappointing one for him. He failed to score a goal, got himself booked, missed a penalty against Spain in the group stages and by the time the knock outs came, “El Principito” found himself relegated to the reserve bench. Uruguay did not fare well either and exited from the round of 16.
By this time Sosa had moved on to Italy, first to Lazio—where he became the top scorer for them in 1991-92 — and then to Inter. Sosa made a name for himself in Serie A amongst stars like Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten, and Lothar Matthäus. He reached the pinnacle of his club career at Inter as he led the goal charts for the club in two consecutive seasons, rounding it off with a UEFA Cup in 1994. However, for some strange reason, he was overlooked for the Copa campaigns during this period. The results were as expected—Uruguay crashed out of the group stages in 1991 and barely managed to scrape through to the quarter finals in 1993.
Sosa made a name for himself in Serie A amongst stars like Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten, and Lothar Matthäus. He reached the pinnacle of his club career at Inter as he led the goal charts for the club in two consecutive seasons, rounding it off with a UEFA Cup in 1994.
Naturally, Sosa was called back for the 1995 Copa. But injury and loss of form has diminished his utility by this time. He was a bits-and-pieces player and could not manage a full 90 minutes in any of the games he featured in. He had lost his regular number 11 shirt and was donning a more squad player’s number 20 jersey. In fact, he was left out entirely of the crucial semifinal and final matches. But Francéscoli’s brilliance and a golden ball-winning performance ensured Sosa got his second Copa winner’s medal.
Sosa never played for the national team after 1995. In Europe too his time was up after a couple of injury-laden seasons with Borussia Dortmund. The club won the Bundesliga during this time, and Sosa received another silverware in his third European country. Sosa was, however, far from done. He tied his shoelaces to fulfill his dreams and joined his boyhood favorite club, Nacional. At Nacional, Sosa won the Uruguayan League in 1998, 2000, and 2001—himself being the top scorer of the Uruguay Championship in 1998 and the Copa Libertadores in 1999—becoming a fan favourite.
Sosa : The favorite son of Nacional
Life was not always a hunky dory affair for the “Little Prince” as the temptation of a fat paycheck brought him to play for Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese League in 2002. Everything looked perfect as Shanghai won the Chinese Jia-A League title in 2003, but ten years later, the club was stripped of the title for match fixing.
Sosa did not stay long in China. He returned to Nacional in 2004 as an assistant coach, and immediately helped the team win the league title in 2005. He is still an assistant coach in the youth club, where he gives a master class in goal scoring to the young forwards. Besides, he just set up his own football school three years ago. “It’s called ‘Joy, joy’, is in Carrasco (a neighborhood in the east of Montevideo) and the name is what has always defined me. Children come from many parts of Montevideo and I teach them to play football. This is what fills my life, always linked to football.”
Seems like Sosa has found his peace, and it lies in spending time with kids. He does not want to graduate to a head-coaching job because, as he freely admitted, he is too impetuous for the role. He is still a popular figure and can be found in the streets of Uruguay, stopping by to sign autographs and talking to people about football. After all, he will always be remembered as their “Little Prince”.
Sosa went to the World Cup 1990, his only ever World Cup, with high hopes. Unfortunately, the tournament was a disappointing one for him. He failed to score a goal, got himself booked, missed a penalty against Spain in the group stages and by the time the knock outs came, “El Principito” found himself relegated to the reserve bench. Uruguay did not fare well either and exited from the round of 16.
By this time Sosa had moved on to Italy, first to Lazio—where he became the top scorer for them in 1991-92 — and then to Inter. Sosa made a name for himself in Serie A amongst stars like Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten, and Lothar Matthäus. He reached the pinnacle of his club career at Inter as he led the goal charts for the club in two consecutive seasons, rounding it off with a UEFA Cup in 1994. However, for some strange reason, he was overlooked for the Copa campaigns during this period. The results were as expected—Uruguay crashed out of the group stages in 1991 and barely managed to scrape through to the quarter finals in 1993.
Sosa made a name for himself in Serie A amongst stars like Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten, and Lothar Matthäus. He reached the pinnacle of his club career at Inter as he led the goal charts for the club in two consecutive seasons, rounding it off with a UEFA Cup in 1994.
Naturally, Sosa was called back for the 1995 Copa. But injury and loss of form has diminished his utility by this time. He was a bits-and-pieces player and could not manage a full 90 minutes in any of the games he featured in. He had lost his regular number 11 shirt and was donning a more squad player’s number 20 jersey. In fact, he was left out entirely of the crucial semifinal and final matches. But Francéscoli’s brilliance and a golden ball-winning performance ensured Sosa got his second Copa winner’s medal.
Sosa never played for the national team after 1995. In Europe too his time was up after a couple of injury-laden seasons with Borussia Dortmund. The club won the Bundesliga during this time, and Sosa received another silverware in his third European country. Sosa was, however, far from done. He tied his shoelaces to fulfill his dreams and joined his boyhood favorite club, Nacional. At Nacional, Sosa won the Uruguayan League in 1998, 2000, and 2001—himself being the top scorer of the Uruguay Championship in 1998 and the Copa Libertadores in 1999—becoming a fan favourite.
Sosa : The favorite son of Nacional
Life was not always a hunky dory affair for the “Little Prince” as the temptation of a fat paycheck brought him to play for Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese League in 2002. Everything looked perfect as Shanghai won the Chinese Jia-A League title in 2003, but ten years later, the club was stripped of the title for match fixing.
Sosa did not stay long in China. He returned to Nacional in 2004 as an assistant coach, and immediately helped the team win the league title in 2005. He is still an assistant coach in the youth club, where he gives a master class in goal scoring to the young forwards. Besides, he just set up his own football school three years ago. “It’s called ‘Joy, joy’, is in Carrasco (a neighborhood in the east of Montevideo) and the name is what has always defined me. Children come from many parts of Montevideo and I teach them to play football. This is what fills my life, always linked to football.”
Seems like Sosa has found his peace, and it lies in spending time with kids. He does not want to graduate to a head-coaching job because, as he freely admitted, he is too impetuous for the role. He is still a popular figure and can be found in the streets of Uruguay, stopping by to sign autographs and talking to people about football. After all, he will always be remembered as their “Little Prince”.
@Chesterlestreet @harms Since substitutes are banned, maybe it's worth considering if we should make polls private and votes only visible after having voted. Still should be able to change, but imo it's better if we get the vote without current spread skewing the result.
Is there such a option @Rado_N that makes vote result visible only after having voted? Still be able to change votes, if needed.
I don't think it's right to implement anything new at this stage.
But if people are in favour of trying this out, we can do so for the quarters.
Oh!
BTW is it technically possible to have a poll where votes are anonymous?
Yes - but having them anonymous (as in, not visible) strikes me as unnecessary (and even a bit problematic).
What you can do is to create a poll in which results are invisible unless you vote: That way you won't know what the score is when you cast your vote. This is what Edgar means (I take it).
I'd like to hear from more people on this, by the way. We've talked about it before, as I recall, but never reached any firm conclusions:
Put it like this: What would be the potential downside to making the results invisible (before voting)?
The upside is obvious: The voters won't be influenced by the score and won't vote tactically in the sense of "voting for a draw", etc.
Put it like this: What would be the potential downside to making the results invisible (before voting)?
The upside is obvious: The voters won't be influenced by the score and won't vote tactically in the sense of "voting for a draw", etc.
That would be a good option. The temptation to vote for a side that is losing is always there, even subconsciously sometimes.
Its not a downside per se, but its often quite obvious how the match is going from followiing the thread even if you don't click to see the score. Also, people might vote earlier than usual to see the score, which could feasibly make the arguments presented during the match threads less important. This is obviously mitigated by allowing people to change their votes, but then its all rendered somewhat pointless as people then know the score before voting for the final time...I've just confused the feck out of myself.
Yeah I suggested it as well before so I'm all for it. Can't see a downside really.
I wonder what happens after the poll closes, though - that's a technical issue I'd like to clarify first.
Ideally you want the score on display after the match is over.
The relevant option is:
"Allow the results to be viewed without voting".
Now, if you can disable that option for the duration of the poll/match - but then check the box (allowing results to be viewed without voting) after the poll is closed, that would be ideal. I suspect you can do just that - but I'm not 100% sure.
Ideally you want the score on display after the match is over.
The relevant option is:
"Allow the results to be viewed without voting".
Now, if you can disable that option for the duration of the poll/match - but then check the box (allowing results to be viewed without voting) after the poll is closed, that would be ideal. I suspect you can do just that - but I'm not 100% sure.
I see what you mean but I reckon it's worth giving it a go.
Just stipulate that voters should only vote when they're pretty sure who to vote for (as opposed to just switching around)
I feel that viewing the votes before voting can influence a voter's outlook on the two teams. If the votes are close, the voter may view the teams as being equal and actually try to scrutinize both teams before voting. If the voting goes one way or another, however, some voters may have that influence their analysis of both teams; the voter may scrutinize the losing team some more to look for weaknesses whilst trying to figure out what makes the winning team better rather than objectively looking at both teams.
In that sense, I'm all for it, but I hope that we can find a way to display votes once the voting period closes.
...which brings us to another proposed change: 12hr polls.
First 12hrs: Discussion only. Then the poll is added after the 12hr mark - and stands for 12hrs.
I'm pretty sure it can be done technically. Doesn't have to be exactly on the dot either - roughly 12hrs will do.
Seeing the number of votes in the first games and that some of the voters are in different timezones I'm not sure that would be positive to be honest. At the moment we have 10-15 votes that decide each game, if we implement 12 hrs I think it could very well be just half that.
Fair point - yes.
In order for it to work, you'd have to have a large portion of neutrals/voters on board to begin with - i.e. you'd have to make sure people would show up when you wanted them to. Which isn't really realistic.
It's gotten a bit late now. When will today's match start?
@MounchesterUtd hasn't been online since 2am.
I reckon this could be trialed during a more modern draft as there'll likely be more voters as they're more familiar with the players.
(Cough, 67-87 Billy No Mates Draft cough)