Former Brazil captain Carlos Alberto dies
Carlos Alberto, who famously captained the great 1970 Brazil team to World Cup glory, has died at the age of 72. Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning captain Carlos Alberto has died of a heart attack at the age of 72, with former club Santos leading the tributes. Widely regarded as one of the finest defenders of all time, Carlos Alberto is most fondly remembered for scoring the stunning fourth goal in Brazil’s 4-1 final win over Italy at Mexico 1970.
A sublime team move, that concluded with a thunderous finish after Pele rolled a pass nonchalantly into the right-back’s path, sealed a third world title for Brazil, allowing them to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy that Carlos Alberto hoisted at Estadio Azteca. After beginning his playing career with Fluminense, Carlos Alberto moved to Santos, where he played alongside Pele in a celebrated line-up, making 445 appearances and scoring 40 goals.
Capped 53 times by his country from 1964 to 1977, Carlos Alberto went on to become one of the star names to take part in the North American Soccer League, representing New York Cosmos in two spells between 1977 and 1982, when he hung up his boots. He then embarked on a varied coaching career, taking charge of Fluminense, alongside spells at Flamengo, Corinthians, Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo in his homeland.
Mexican clubs Monterrey and Tijuana are among those in his CV during the 1990s and he also led Oman and Azerbaijan at international level – the latter, his final post, coming in 2005. (Digicelsportsmax.com)
