Born: January 11, 1941
. Full name:
Gerson de
Oliveira Nunes. Country: Brazil
. Position: Midfielder
. He played for the clubs: "Flamengo" 1955-63, "Botafogo" 1963-69,70 "Sao Paulo" 1969-70,71 Fluminense 1972-75.
. Held for the national team: 84 matches, 18 goals
.
Gerson, some experts in Brazil say the country's strongest midfielder of all time, placing it above Didi and Zizino.
.
Preferred to 'eight' 'ten'
Gerson was born in Niteroi - a city adjacent to the Rio de Janeiro - in the family and Deolindy Clovis
Nunes de
Oliveira.
. 'Flamengo' - club, where he grew up - used it initially as
. incident
. In 1958, when the boy was 17 years old, 'FLA' first released it in the championship match of 'Carioca' and immediately to the derby with 'Fluminense'.
Gerson has replaced injured striker Dequinha and scored a goal.
Striker he was quite efficient, scoring in the seasons 1960 and 1961 to 26 goals. All the years of speeches in 'Flamengo', which he left in 1963, he had accumulated eight to ten.
. C 'FLA'
Gerson won the junior (1958) and Youth (1960) Championships Rio, so-called 'Oktagonal' in Argentina - a tournament with eight strong clubs in the summer of 1961-th
. Cup Roberto Gomez Pedroso in the same 1961-m. And all this is crowned by a victory in the championship of 'Carioca' at senior level (1963).
Over time,
Gerson pulled into the middle line, and the moment of transition in 'Botafogo' in September 1963 was considered to have strong central midfielder country. The transition was due to disagreements with the coach Flavio Costa, who was persistent in its desire to put on the
Gerson-shirt with the number 'ten', that is to continue to put it in the center of attack. He objected, demanding a 'figure eight', then there is a place in the middle line. The motive was obvious: 'ten' in the team firmly belonged to Pele,
Gerson, and thus would be doomed to be his eternal understudy. Otherwise, he could claim to be an independent role.
Lost Chance
At the age of 19
Gerson made for Brazil at the Olympics in Rome and came to the note to the breeder of Italian clubs, who spied talented Olympians. In June 1961 the first, ie, a year later, Renato Dal 'Ara, president of' Bologna ', while one of the richest clubs in the Apennines, has sent his emissary Carlo Montanari in Brazil.
. Montanari
Gerson made a fantastic offer - pay 300 million pounds per year, plus a number of benefits, including the opportunity to invite parents in Italy by club
. Oh and the president 'Flamengo' was not averse to release the boy and his father almost pleaded: "Come on, say, sign contracts.
But
Gerson said no and did not even say that it is not satisfied. Only 10 years later, recalling the episode, he confessed that all these years, deeply regretted their hesitation: "I gave a cool fluff. He was afraid that in Italy there are more great players than myself. Was still quite young, nothing in life is not understood ... There was another point: in front of me just opened the road to the national team, and I was afraid of losing her. But as a result lost a golden chance '.
A month before the visit recruiter
Gerson made his debut in the main national team in a match against the Chileans. A 1 iyulya1961, he signed with the 'Flamengo' first professional contract for a year for 8 thousand a month cruzeiro. Of course, this was not the money, which he would have received in Italy.
. In 1962, his salary jumped to the numerical order - to 100 thousand cruzeiro a month, but Brazil during those years experienced serious inflation, and in fact the jump was not so much a sharp
. In 'Botafogo' fees
Gerson increased to 150 thousand per month.
. To go with the national team at the World Cup in 1962 he prevented the injury.
.
Shame 1966
'Botafogo' was the best team in the career
Gerson. He played in brilliant company with Jairzinho, Garrincha, Zagallo, Quarentinha and Nilton Santos. In this part 'Fogo' nazavoevyval heap all sorts of trophies.
Gerson obsessed, if not furiously, preparing for the World Championship in England. He raved about them, ready to give all power to bring the country's third consecutive title, and worked to exhaustion during training. He naively thought that this is the most direct path to success. However, the excessive zeal of a disservice.
Management team drew attention to the fact that
Gerson too quickly entered into the form. Until England was still a decent time, and a team doctor Gosling feared that he would 'burn out'. I had to 'find' for
Gerson kidney disease and put on ten days in bed.
. In the last control match with Sweden
Gerson wonderful cut free-kick hit scored the winning goal (3:2), forcing the Brazilian commentator to cry on the air: 'What a pity that the game of our team does not see the whole world!'.
. Yet the decisive battles of his physical condition was poor
. It was not composed in the first group match against Bulgaria. Against Hungary, he went out on the field, but in the day, Brazil suffered a resounding failure, and the blot was placed on all who had the attitude toward it.
.
The most important goal
The next turning point in the life
Gerson has been a transition in 'Sao Paulo' in mid-1969
. He first left his native Rio. The transition was furnished magnificently. The contract under which he was to receive 80 thousand dollars (now the sum was designated in hard currency), signed in PalasiodeLibertad - the main administrative building of the State of Sцёo Paulo, in the presence of the Governor of Natal Loudon. Along with the contract he was handed the captain's armband.
By the beginning of the Mexican mundialya
Gerson turned 29 years old - Sama udobnyi age of great achievements. It was already a mature, veteran master, not inclined to make children's mistakes.
The whole championship, he played brilliantly and in one breath. Best player of the tournament recognized Pele, but from watching a video games show that the contribution of
Gerson in the victory was no less. This is thanks to him, his effortless skill of the Brazilians put down all, without exception, rivals (except perhaps the British) in the middle of the field.
. The task was not to
Gerson to participate in the final phase of attacks - on it in Brazil, and so lacked virtuoso
. But in the case and he could have their say. So, as it did in the 66 th minute of the final match with Italy, where the bill was still a draw (1:1) and a goal was needed as never before.
Jairzinho, hijacked the Italian defenders, threw the ball far from the central circle
Gerson. He took over: ran his two rivals, and when the gate remained meters 25, paid a lethal strike force left foot with backspin. For the goalkeeper Albertozi it was a complete surprise, he jumped into a corner, but could not get the ball.
It was the most stellar moment in the biography of
Gerson and of course the climax for this match. The Italians broke down and realized that lost.
Became a journalist from a desire to speak the truth
Meanwhile, in his club career, a period of rushing. In a brief three-year interval
Gerson thrice passed from 'Botafogo' in 'Sao Paulo' and vice versa.
On the first act of this strange spectacle was described above.
Gerson first immersed in an atmosphere of 'Paulista' and quickly realized that did not feel comfortable in it but. He complained that he lacks the beaches of Rio and its heat.
In addition to this unfortunate incident occurred when he was late for the match Champions Rio and Sao Paulo, in which his new club fought against the 'Fluminense'. Immediately before the game
Gerson went to visit parents in Niteroi and got on the way back to cork. Getting out of it, he drove at top speed, but still arrived at the stadium when the match with 20 minutes had elapsed.
. At the end of 1970 he developed the thought to finish his career, but he changed his mind and instead returned to the 'Botafogo', then again in 'Sao Paulo', with whom he won another state championship medal.
. In May 1972 the second
Gerson in the next (and last) time changed the club
. The last three seasons he spent in 'Fluminense'. In fact, he had already come to grief: he was constantly tormented by trauma (especially plagued with ankle problems). No matter the state of health did not allow him to appear at the World Cup-74.
In 1974, while still active soccer player,
Gerson graduated from journalism courses, and devoted his later life it is this craft. He was offered the post of technical director, but he chose the path of journalism, driven, as he said, 'desire to expound the truth about the Brazilian football'.
. In his wife
Gerson chose Maria Elena de
Oliveira - a girl bearing the same name, which is inherited at birth from mother to himself
. He has two daughters - Patricia and Christian.
