Dirceu José Guimarães, known as Dirceu (Portuguese pronunciation: [dʒiʁˈsew]; 15 June 1952 – 15 September 1995), was a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, notably for Botafogo and the Brazil national team as well as numerous Italian teams in the 1980s–early 1990s.
 Dirceu (right) and Walter Schachner with Avellino in the 1986–87 season | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dirceu José Guimarães | ||
| Date of birth | 15 June 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Curitiba, Brazil | ||
| Date of death | 15 September 1995 (aged 43) | ||
| Place of death | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1972 | Coritiba | 26 | (1) |
| 1973–1976 | Botafogo | 52 | (9) |
| 1976 | Fluminense | 22 | (2) |
| 1977–1978 | Vasco da Gama | 25 | (2) |
| 1978–1979 | América | 45 | (2) |
| 1979–1982 | Atlético Madrid | 84 | (18) |
| 1982–1983 | Verona | 29 | (2) |
| 1983–1984 | Napoli | 30 | (5) |
| 1984–1985 | Ascoli | 27 | (5) |
| 1985–1986 | Como | 25 | (2) |
| 1986–1987 | Avellino | 23 | (6) |
| 1988 | Vasco da Gama | - | (-) |
| 1988 | Miami Sharks | 17 | (5) |
| 1989–1991 | Ebolitana | 39 | (14) |
| 1992 | Benevento | 11 | (4) |
| 1995 | Atlético Yucatán | ||
| International career | |||
| 1973–1986 | Brazil | 44 | (7) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Biography
editDirceu was born at Curitiba, in southern Brazil, on 15 June 1952.
Club career
editIn his early career, Dirceu played for Coritiba, Botagofo (1971–1975), Fluminense (1975–1977) and Vasco da Gama in his country, before spending one year in Mexico at América. In 1979, he signed for Spanish side Atlético Madrid, where he remained until 1982, playing 84 games and scoring 18 goals. In 1982, he signed for Italian team Hellas Verona, the first of five Italian Serie A teams which he changed yearly (the last being Avellino in 1986–1987), before returning to Vasco da Gama. In 1988 Dirceu played in the USA for Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and in 1989–1991 he played again in southern Italy, this time for Ebolitana (1989–1992) and Benevento (1991–1992). His last teams was Atlético Yucatán in Mexico, where he ended his career in 1995.
International career
editDirceu won 44 caps (14 non-official), between June 1973 and May 1986, with the Brazil national team, scoring seven goals.
He played for Brazil at the 1974, 1978, and 1982 FIFA World Cups. He was due to go to the 1986 edition of the tournament, but was ruled out by injury. He played 11 games and scored three goals in his World Cup appearances. Brazil finished fourth in 1974, while in 1978, he won the Bronze Ball and was named to the team of the tournament after helping Brazil to a third-place finish. He also took part at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games with Brazil.
Death
editDirceu died on the night of 15 September 1995, at the age of 43, when an Opel Ascona driven by a street racer ran a red light and hit his Puma at high speed in Barra da Tijuca, not too far from his apartment. Dirceu and a passenger, who was thrown out of the vehicle following the crash, died immediately. There were two couples in the Ascona; all four of them survived and nobody was prosecuted for Dirceu's death.[1]
Legacy
editThe Ebolitana named its arena at Eboli the Stadio José Guimarães Dirceu in his honor.
Honours
editCoritiba
- Campeonato Paranaense (Paraná State championship): 1971, 1972
Fluminense
- Campeonato Carioca (Rio de Janeiro State championship): 1976
Vasco da Gama
- Campeonato Carioca (Rio de Janeiro State championship): 1977, 1988
Brazil
- FIFA World Cup: third place 1978, fourth place 1974
Individual
References
edit- ^ Bruno, Freitas; Vanderlei, Lima (15 December 2017). "A tragédia de Dirceu". UOL Esportes (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo: Grupo Folha. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Awards". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
External links
edit- Dirceu at National-Football-Teams.com