World Cup Cult Heroes: Socrates

In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, The National’s Gary Meenaghan looks back at the figures of World Cups past who, while not necessarily the greatest the game has ever seen, were among football’s most interesting characters.

Illustration by Mathew Kurian / The National
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In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, The National’s Gary Meenaghan looks back at the figures of World Cups past who, while not necessarily the greatest the game has ever seen, were among football’s most interesting characters.

SOCRATES

A tall and gangly social activist with a shaggy beard and pensive countenance, Socrates looked more like a philosopher than a football player. Yet, what a player he was. Captain of Brazil's joyful, free-wheeling 1982 team, the elegant midfielder scored 22 goals in 60 appearances for his country and never once appeared flustered. He died in 2011, at age 57.

Walking, Talking Contradiction

Socrates, named after a philosopher opposed to hedonism, was an unashamed hedonist. He attained a medical degree at 24, yet smoked 20 cigarettes a day and drank copious amounts of alcohol. He fought vocally for democracy, yet showed support for Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and Cuba’s Fidel Castro. “Cuba represents my dream, an egalitarian vision for every citizen,” he told The National in 2010. One of his sons is named Fidel.

Heel of Gold

As a young midfielder at Botafogo, Socrates scored 101 goals in 269 matches, but it was at Corinthians, the Sao Paulo club popular among Brazil’s poor, that he became an idol. Having joined them in 1978, the man nicknamed “The Doctor” netted 172 goals in 297 matches. At age 25, he finally earned a call-up to the Brazil squad. At the 1982 World Cup, together with Zico, he was the reason Brazil were overriding favourites, yet they lost to Italy in the second round. In 1986, they lost to France on penalties in the quarter-finals. He scored twice at both tournaments.

Democracia

Socrates was very much his own man: he refused to employ an agent, always spoke his mind and founded a player movement called “Corinthians Democracy” that was credited by some as helping instigate the downfall of Brazil’s military regime. When the team won the Sao Paulo state championship in 1982, they did so with the word “Democracia” emblazoned across their shirts. “That was the greatest team I ever played in because it was more than sport,” he said. “My political victories are more important than my victories as a professional player. A match finishes in 90 minutes, but life goes on.”

An Unlikely Fan

After retiring, Socrates wrote a regular column for an Arab newspaper and, in 1996, embarked on a publicity tour of Libya and Egypt. While in Tripoli, he was invited to meet Qaddafi, who, it is claimed, urged his newfound Brazilian friend to run for office. “He proposed I put myself forward for president of Brazil. He said he’d back me and finance my campaign because he already knew my political opinions,” Socrates told Alex Bellos in Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life.

Did You Know?

Socrates was the older brother of Rai, the Brazilian striker who played for Paris Saint-Germain and lifted the Fifa World Cup in 1994.

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