Telê Santana
Encyclopedia
Telê Santana da Silva, also known as Telê Santana (July 26, 1931 – April 21, 2006), was a Brazil
ian football
manager
and former player. He was born in Itabirito
, Minas Gerais
.
Telê was the manager responsible for putting together the 1982 and 1986 Brazil national squads
, best remembered as one of the greatest teams in history never to win a World Cup
.
He was also a highly successful manager of various club teams
, including the legendary 1992 and 1993 São Paulo
.
, Madureira
and Vasco da Gama
. He was also a reserve player of the Brazil national football team
. As a player, his preferred position was centre-forward. However, he started his career as a goalkeeper.
to win its first Brazilian championship
title. Regarded to have coached one of the best Brazil national squads in 1982 World Cup
and 1986 World Cup
, he failed, however, to win the tournament in both occasions.
Besides the coaching of the Brazil national team, Santana returned to club management in 1988 at Flamengo
, but enjoyed his palmiest days with São Paulo between 1990 and 1996. With an outstanding team featuring Zetti
, Cafu
, Raí
, and Leonardo
(all of the aforementioned players eventually made it to the national squad in 1990 and 1994), the side won the Brazilian championship title in 1991, and then the Libertadores Cup in 1992 and 1993, the first time that a Brazilian club had won it in 10 years. In those same two seasons, São Paulo also claimed the world club title
in Tokyo
, beating first Johan Cruyff
's Barcelona
and then Fabio Capello
's A.C. Milan
. The memory of this squad is still very much regarded by the fans as one of the most spectacular in São Paulo's history.
In 1996, he had to retire, after suffering a stroke. He had part of his left leg amputated in 2003 because of ischemia
in his left foot. He was operated at Hospital Felício Roxo, in Belo Horizonte
.
Santana died on April 21, 2006, due to an abdominal infection. His body was buried at Cemitério Parque da Colina, in Belo Horizonte. His wife Ivonete and their son and daughter survive him.
With regards to role models, Santana has mentioned in one interview that he had no idols, though: "my greatest satisfaction would be to manage a team such as 1974 Holland
. It was a team where you could pick [Johan] Cruyff and place him on the right wing. If I had to put him in the left-wing, he would still play [the same]. I could choose Neeskens
, who played both to the right and to the left of the midfield. Thus, everyone played in any position." He said he tried to use a similar tactic strategy in 1992's São Paulo, by using versatile players in different positions according to what was required in a match.
He was once considered by the media the "last romantic of the Brazilian football", and had always been a strong campaigner for the fair play and against violence in the game.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former player. He was born in Itabirito
Itabirito
Itabirito is a small town in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil. Its population is estimated to be around 45,000 people in 2010.-Famous Citizens of Itabirito:...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
.
Telê was the manager responsible for putting together the 1982 and 1986 Brazil national squads
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, best remembered as one of the greatest teams in history never to win a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.
He was also a highly successful manager of various club teams
Football team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
, including the legendary 1992 and 1993 São Paulo
São Paulo Futebol Clube
São Paulo Futebol Clube , commonly known as São Paulo, is a professional football club based in São Paulo, Brazil. They play in the Campeonato Paulista, São Paulo's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão, Brazil's national league, and are one of the only five clubs to...
.
Playing career
Telê played for clubs such as FluminenseFluminense Football Club
Fluminense Football Club is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in the beginning of the 20th century as a single-sport institution, Fluminense is today an umbrella organization for several teams in more than 16 different sport activities. The most popular endeavor of Fluminense,...
, Madureira
Madureira Esporte Clube
Madureira Esporte Clube, or Madureira as they are usually called, is a traditional Brazilian football team from Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro state, founded on August 8, 1914.-History:...
and Vasco da Gama
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama |Rowing Club]]), usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a famous and traditional Brazilian multisports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898...
. He was also a reserve player of the Brazil national football team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. As a player, his preferred position was centre-forward. However, he started his career as a goalkeeper.
Managerial career
His career as a manager started in 1967, coaching the Fluminense youth squad. Four years later, Telê led Atlético MineiroClube Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...
to win its first Brazilian championship
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
title. Regarded to have coached one of the best Brazil national squads in 1982 World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
and 1986 World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
, he failed, however, to win the tournament in both occasions.
Besides the coaching of the Brazil national team, Santana returned to club management in 1988 at Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo , also known as Flamengo and familiarly as Mengão, is a Brazilian sports club based in the Flamengo bairro, Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro, best known for its professional football team...
, but enjoyed his palmiest days with São Paulo between 1990 and 1996. With an outstanding team featuring Zetti
Zetti
Armelino Donizetti Quagliato, best known as Zetti is a former association football goalkeeper and coach manager.-Playing career:Zetti played with São Paulo from 1990 to 1996...
, Cafu
Cafu
Marcos Evangelista de Moraes , better known as Cafu, is a former Brazilian footballer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest right-backs ever. He was given this nickname due to his speed up and down the right flank which was reminiscent of Cafuringa, a Brazilian forward from the 1970s...
, Raí
Raí
Raí, full name Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira is a former Brazilian football midfielder. He was part of the Brazil team which won 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also played for São Paulo FC when he had the most glorious time of his career, and Paris Saint-Germain, two clubs for which he has achieved...
, and Leonardo
Leonardo Araújo
Leonardo Nascimento de Araújo, known as Leonardo , is a football manager and a former midfielder. He is currently active as director of football of French club Paris Saint-Germain....
(all of the aforementioned players eventually made it to the national squad in 1990 and 1994), the side won the Brazilian championship title in 1991, and then the Libertadores Cup in 1992 and 1993, the first time that a Brazilian club had won it in 10 years. In those same two seasons, São Paulo also claimed the world club title
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, beating first Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
's Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and then Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
's A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
. The memory of this squad is still very much regarded by the fans as one of the most spectacular in São Paulo's history.
Personal life
Santana is widely credited for the re-invention of the jogo bonito ("beautiful game" in Portuguese) by the vast majority of the Brazilian press. His full-attack mentality of play was best displayed with the 1982 Brazilian national squad who fell 3–2 to Italy in the Second Round of the Cup. Santana was criticized by many for refusing to switch Brazil's forward style of play versus Italy, since Brazil only needed to tie the game to reach the Semifinals due to the original World Cup setup at the time. Some pundits felt that Santana should have placed more emphasis on defence and a counter attack strategy due to circumstances of the match. Regardless of the fact that Santana never led the Brazilian squad to glory, he is still regarded as one of greatest managers and innovators in the history of Brazilian football.In 1996, he had to retire, after suffering a stroke. He had part of his left leg amputated in 2003 because of ischemia
Ischemia
In medicine, ischemia is a restriction in blood supply, generally due to factors in the blood vessels, with resultant damage or dysfunction of tissue. It may also be spelled ischaemia or ischæmia...
in his left foot. He was operated at Hospital Felício Roxo, in Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
.
Santana died on April 21, 2006, due to an abdominal infection. His body was buried at Cemitério Parque da Colina, in Belo Horizonte. His wife Ivonete and their son and daughter survive him.
With regards to role models, Santana has mentioned in one interview that he had no idols, though: "my greatest satisfaction would be to manage a team such as 1974 Holland
Total Football
"Total Football" is the label given to an influential tactical theory of association football in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. It was pioneered by Dutch football club Ajax from 1969 to 1973, and further used by the Netherlands National Football...
. It was a team where you could pick [Johan] Cruyff and place him on the right wing. If I had to put him in the left-wing, he would still play [the same]. I could choose Neeskens
Johan Neeskens
Johannes Jacobus "Johan" Neeskens is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. As a player, he was an important member of the Dutch national team that finished as runners-up in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups. Former England manager Alf Ramsey said Neeskens was "as good as any player" in...
, who played both to the right and to the left of the midfield. Thus, everyone played in any position." He said he tried to use a similar tactic strategy in 1992's São Paulo, by using versatile players in different positions according to what was required in a match.
He was once considered by the media the "last romantic of the Brazilian football", and had always been a strong campaigner for the fair play and against violence in the game.
As a Manager
- 1969 - Taça GuanabaraTaça GuanabaraTaça Guanabara, or Guanabara Trophy, is a football tournament organized yearly since 1965 by the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation. In its first four editions , Taça Guanabara was a tournament of its own right, completely unrelated to the Rio de Janeiro league, and the winners would be...
and Campeonato CariocaCampeonato CariocaThe Campeonato Carioca, also known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, is the football league of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is one of the most prestigious national football tournaments...
(FluminenseFluminense Football ClubFluminense Football Club is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in the beginning of the 20th century as a single-sport institution, Fluminense is today an umbrella organization for several teams in more than 16 different sport activities. The most popular endeavor of Fluminense,...
) - 1970 - Campeonato MineiroCampeonato MineiroCampeonato Mineiro is the state football league of the state of Minas Gerais and is controlled by the Minas Gerais Football Federation FMF ....
(Atlético MineiroClube Atlético MineiroClube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...
) - 1971 - Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Atlético Mineiro)
- 1977 - Campeonato GaúchoCampeonato GaúchoThe Campeonato da Primeira Divisão de Futebol Profissional da FGF is the top tier of the footballleague of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.-Clubs:Clubs qualified to Campeonato Gaúcho Primeira Divisão 2011.*Canoas*Caxias...
(GrêmioGrêmio Foot-Ball Porto AlegrenseGrêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
) - 1983 - King's CupKing's CupThe King's Cup is an international football competition held in Thailand. It has been played annually since 1968, with the exception of 1983, 1985 and 2008. In some years, the competition has featured club or invitational teams as well as international sides....
(Al-Ahli) - 1984 - Saudi League (Al-Ahli)
- 1985 - Gulf Club Champions CupGulf Club Champions CupThe GCC Champions League , formerly known as the Arabian Gulf Cup for Clubs , is an annually organized football league tournament for club of the Arab states...
(Al-Ahli) - 1988 - Campeonato Mineiro (Atlético Mineiro)
- 1989 - Taça Guanabara (Flamengo)
- 1991 - Campeonato Brasileiro (São Paulo)
- 1991-1992 - Campeonato PaulistaCampeonato PaulistaThe Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
(São Paulo) - 1992-1993 - Libertadores Cup and Intercontinental Cup (São Paulo)
- 1993 - Supercopa SudamericanaSupercopa SudamericanaThe Supercopa Sudamericana , also known as the Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa Libertadores, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a football club competition contested annually by the past winners of the Copa Libertadores...
(São Paulo) - 1993-1994 - Recopa SudamericanaRecopa SudamericanaThe Recopa Sudamericana is an annual football match-up between the reigning champions of the previous year's Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, South America's premier club competitions....
(São Paulo) - 1994 - Copa CONMEBOLCopa CONMEBOLThe Copa CONMEBOL was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for eligible South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was the third most prestigious South American club football contest after the Copa Libertadores and Supercopa...
(São Paulo)
Books
- Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 2 - Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.