Gérson

Career Gérson was born and spent his childhood in the city of Niterói, just to the eastern side of Guanabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of the former Rio de Janeiro State. In school, he was nicknamed papagaio (parrot), a nickname he kept throughout his life and which many of his fellow footballers used when addressing him.

Both his father and uncle were professional footballers in Rio. His father was a close friend of the legendary Zizinho, widely held as the best Brazilian footballer before Pelé, a superstar with Flamengo and a forward in the 1950 national team, along with Vasco da Gama's Ademir Menezes and Flamengo's Jair da Rosa Pinto. So when Gérson announced he intended to become a footballer himself, he found little opposition at home.

As a boy, Gérson was influenced by midfielders Zizinho and Jair, as well as Vasco da Gama's Danilo Alvim. At Flamengo, his playing style was compared with that of midfielder Didi. Gérson was known for his technique, left-footed shooting and passing from midfield, including long passes from deep positions. He was later regarded as a possible successor to Didi.

Within a year of making his professional debut for Flamengo in 1959, he was called to the Brazilian 'amateur' team in the Pan-American Games in Chicago. A year later he was a lynchpin of the side at the Rome Olympics where he scored four goals, but Brazil did not make it beyond the group phase. By 1961, he was the playmaker in Flamengo. He had also been recruited into the full national squad to defend the World Cup in Chile by the new national coach Aymore Moreira. He later publicly regretted having starred in the ad, claiming his association with such acts did not reflect his true personality.

Style of play Although Gérson played as a holding midfielder, Jonathan Wilson noted in a 2013 article for The Guardian that he was an early example of a more creative interpreter of this role, who focussed more on ball retention and passing rather than solely looking to win back possession. A tactically intelligent, efficient, and technically gifted midfield playmaker, he was considered the "brain" behind the Brazilian squad that won the 1970 World Cup.

Controversy Gérson displayed anger towards Pelé's list of the 125 greatest living footballers. He was adamant with the ruling and thought that he and a few of his teammates deserved a spot on the list. He symbolically ripped up a piece of paper, a clear representation of Pelé's list, on a local broadcasting station, saying that "I respect his opinion, but I don't agree. Apart from Zidane, Platini, and Fontaine, I'm behind 11 Frenchmen? It's a joke to hear this."

Career statistics

Brazil national team (87 matches / 19 goals) Flamengo (153 matches / 80 goals) Botafogo (248 matches / 96 goals) São Paulo (75 matches / 12 goals) Fluminense (57 matches / 5 goals)

Honours Flamengo Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1961 Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 1963

Botafogo Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1964, 1966 Taça Brasil: 1968 Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 1967, 1968

São Paulo São Paulo State Championship: 1970, 1971

Fluminense Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 1973

Brazil FIFA World Cup: 1970

Individual FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1970 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1970 World Soccer World XI: 1971 World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame

References and notes