Zico
Attacking Midfielder · Flamengo · Brazil
About Zico
Artur Antunes Coimbra — "Zico" — is considered one of the greatest players to have never won a World Cup. The "White Pelé" won the Ballon d'Or equivalent three times and was one of the most technically gifted attacking midfielders of his generation. Brazil's 1982 team — featuring Zico, Sócrates, Falcão, and Cerezo — is widely considered the most aesthetically pleasing team in World Cup history, despite not winning.
Zico's story
The White Pelé
Zico was born in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) and joined Flamengo's academy at 15. He was initially rejected for being too thin. He returned, bulked up, and became the greatest player in Flamengo's history — scoring 508 goals in his first spell and leading them to their only Copa Libertadores and first Club World Cup title in 1981.
The 1982 World Cup
Brazil's 1982 team is the most celebrated team in World Cup history to have not won the tournament. Zico, Sócrates, Falcão, and Cerezo formed a midfield of extraordinary creativity. They lost 3-2 to Italy in the second group stage — Zico having a penalty saved by Dino Zoff — in what many consider the greatest single World Cup game ever played.
Japan and Legacy
Zico moved to Kashima Antlers in Japan in 1991 — helping establish the club as the founding professional team in Japanese football. He later managed the Japanese national team. He is revered in Japan as the man who helped professionalise their football. His connection to the J-League is so deep that Kashima's orange-and-black colours were chosen in his honour.
Did you know?
- 🇧🇷 He is considered by many football historians to be the greatest player never to have won a World Cup — his 1982 Brazilian team lost to Italy 3–2 in arguably the greatest World Cup match ever played.
- ⚽ He scored 508 goals in his first spell at Flamengo — the most by any player at a single Brazilian club in the professional era.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married Sandra Regina; they have children. He settled in Brazil and later Japan, where he had an enormous influence coaching Kashima Antlers.
- 🇯🇵 He moved to Kashima Antlers in 1991 and helped establish Japanese professional football — becoming the most influential foreign player in the formation of the J-League.
- 📊 He scored 52 goals in 72 international appearances for Brazil — an exceptional ratio for an attacking midfielder, not a striker.
- 🌟 Pelé said: "I do not like to make comparisons, but Zico was the closest to me. When people asked what I would look like in a smaller body with better technique, they were describing Zico."
- 💔 His missed penalty against Dino Zoff in the 1982 World Cup — Brazil led 2-1 at the time — is considered one of football's greatest what-if moments. Italy equalised and won 3-2.
- 🏆 He won the 1981 Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup with Flamengo — the greatest achievement in Brazilian club football history at the time.
- 🤝 He was given the Order of Rio Branco — Brazil's highest state honour for arts and culture — by the Brazilian government in recognition of his service to Brazilian football worldwide.
Honours
- Copa Libertadores: Flamengo (1981)
- FIFA Club World Cup: Flamengo (1981) — named player of tournament
- Brazilian Championship x3: Flamengo (1980,1982,1983)
- South American Player of the Year x3: 1977, 1981, 1982
- J-League All-Time Top Scorer: Kashima Antlers era record
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