Zico

Devil may care

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Jan 7, 2010
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I sadly never got to see Zico play live but I have watched a lot of footage of him, he was at his best in that spell in the 80's that saw three of the greatest #10s ever in himself, Maradona and Platini grace the world stage, although his peak came slightly before the other two.

When you watch him play he has a wonderful array of attributes, from his close dribbling to his electric burst of acceleration while keeping the ball under his complete control. He had a good range of passing and could dictate and control a game, he was a creator and a scorer with the finishing capabilities of a top striker, he was also good in the air and threw himself at headers in the cavalier fashion more associated with the vintage English striker. He was also a freekick specialist.

He scored 52 goals in 72 games for Brazil and is their 4th highest scorer of all time. The bulk of his career was spent in his homeland playing for Flamengo, but he did have a short but quality stint in Europe with Udinese where he notched 30 goals in 53 games and captivated the league along with Maradona and Platini, engaging in a race for the golden boot with the latter in the 83-84 season.

When the lists of Brazil's all time greats are made he is usually in the top 5 but I can't help wondering that had he played for a bigger and more successful club in Europe, or had that magical Brazil side in 1982 won the World Cup, if he would be held in even higher regard than he already is, right up alongside Maradona as the greatest 'Fantasista' of all time.







 
I always rated Zico, one of the finest midfielder ever, with average 0.8 career goals per game.
 
Zico was as good or better than Maradona. He wasn't an attention whore, and did not make the newspapers headlines with anything else, but football skills. he was in my top 3 footballers of all time. And his freekicks were something out of this world.

Btw, any particular reason to start this thread now?
 
Zico was my fav non United player growing up in the 80s - but he simply wasn't anywhere near Maradona.
 
CentreForward said:
Zico was as good or better than Maradona. He wasn't an attention whore, and did not make the newspapers headlines with anything else, but football skills. he was in my top 3 footballers of all time. And his freekicks were something out of this world.

Btw, any particular reason to start this thread now?
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No particular reason as such, I have just always rated Zico very highly and the other day during a conversation he came up and I just started looking at footage of him on youtube again, then I came across that package of his performance against Liverpool which I hadn't seen before. I decided to make a thread to see what posters on the Caf thought of him as I know there are plenty of older posters here.
 
CentreForward said:
Zico was as good or better than Maradona.
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As a great player as Zico was, he simply wasn't as good or as talented as Maradona. (Maradona was something else, even more talented than Messi IMO.) Zico's career was spoilt by injuries. Still, he is one of my all time favourite players.
 
Spoony Youngblood said:
Zico was my fav non United player growing up in the 80s - but he simply wasn't anywhere near Maradona.
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Sorry he was close to Maradona, not quite as good but he was close. During that period of time Maradona and Zico was a bit like Messi/Ronaldo today. He simply wasnt in front of most European and European based tv audiences and so only really got seen by most during world cups. Anyone who watched south american club football when he played knows he was close to Maradona.
 
That goal compilation of him is absolute finishing class all throughout the video. I had posted it before, impressive how so many people don't rate him / know him at all.
 
Arruda said:
That goal compilation of him is absolute finishing class all throughout the video. I had posted it before, impressive how so many people don't rate him / know him at all.
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Its a function of him not playing in Europe where people would have seen him far more.
 
Stack said:
Its a function of him not playing in Europe where people would have seen him far more.
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Certainly, and I can't talk much as I've only really studied him after realizing how astonishing he was in PES 6 Classic Brazil team :D
 
That 82 Brazil team was the most exciting team I ever saw in a World Cup!

Still as great as Zico was he was the level below Maradona at least.


Carreca ohhhh................... Socrates Goaaallllllllllll

That's up there with "they think its all over" for me
 
Billy Blaggs said:
That 82 Brazil team was the most exciting team I ever saw in a World Cup!

Still as great as Zico was he was the level below Maradona at least.


Carreca ohhhh................... Socrates Goaaallllllllllll

That's up there with "they think its all over" for me
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That 82 World Cup team was awesome. They were fantastic to watch. I think you are right, at least for the world cups I have watched, the most exciting team I have seen at a world cup. Ive only been watching world cups since 1970 though.
 


I know its a youtube compilation and those things have the ability to make dong look like eusebio. But seriously if any team plays the way these guys do in the video we'd be ***ping ourselves silly to kingdom come.

Good god, there's a part where the guy just takes the ball down with his back turned.

The greatest team to never win the world cup? . They'd have ripped through the teams today.

Oh ye old tards, tell us more of them.
 
Rams said:
As a great player as Zico was, he simply wasn't as good or as talented as Maradona. (Maradona was something else, even more talented than Messi IMO.) Zico's career was spoilt by injuries. Still, he is one of my all time favourite players.
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Agree!

Brazil -82 had so many other great players. Eder, Socrates, Falcao, Leandro and Junior. Brilliant individuals but as a team they where to offensive oriented.

My favorite was Eder. That man could hit a ball...Something for Ando to study.
 
phelans shorts said:
What about Garrincha chief, rated higher than pele in brazil.
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He is. But globally things are seen differently. Those 3 I mentioned stand on their own.

Then come men like Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Garincha, Best, Zico , Euesbio and Platini (possibly a few others) who are closest to that type of acclaim.

For me Garrincha and Best could have been up there if they hadn't been such bad boys.
 
Zico was the best player in arguably the best midfield ever: Junior, Falcao, Socrates, Zico - pure magic.

Shame that they didn't win the WC.

Zico was probably the best player in the world in between the eras of Cruyff and Maradona.
 
Stack said:
That 82 World Cup team was awesome. They were fantastic to watch. I think you are right, at least for the world cups I have watched, the most exciting team I have seen at a world cup. Ive only been watching world cups since 1970 though.
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What a team, falcao, junior, socrates, careca, eder, serginho and of course zico. Even though i was a bit young at the time, i have watched loads of comps and several of their full matches, some of the football they played was simply breathtaking, mind you that entire world cup was full of fantastic goals, players and matches....sigh footballing nirvana, they dont make em like that anymore :(
 
Interesting grouping there Chief, growing up the top six were always told to me as Pele, Best, Maradona, Cruyff, Di Stefano and Beckenbauer, although my Dad always says Beckenbauer was underappreciated because he was more defensive than the others, and was the best passer of a ball he's ever seen.

Arruda said:
That goal compilation of him is absolute finishing class all throughout the video. I had posted it before, impressive how so many people don't rate him / know him at all.
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Indeed, he had the finishing quality of a world class center forward, probably the most prolific of any vintage #10.
 
Devil may care said:
Interesting grouping there Chief, growing up the top six were always told to me as Pele, Best, Maradona, Cruyff, Di Stefano and Beckenbauer, although my Dad always says Beckenbauer was underappreciated because he was more defensive than the others, ............
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He is right I believe. Most football literature, old footage and any folks you speak to who watched games in that era, and Maradona's era usually site them dudes as the best 6 players to ever grace the game.
 
quethenoo said:
What a team, falcao, junior, socrates, careca, eder, serginho and of course zico. Even though i was a bit young at the time, i have watched loads of comps and several of their full matches, some of the football they played was simply breathtaking, mind you that entire world cup was full of fantastic goals, players and matches....sigh footballing nirvana, they dont make em like that anymore :(
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Over emphasis on athleticism and over tactical play killed football international:(
 
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