Toninho Cerezo, real name Antônio Carlos Cerezo, (born 21 April 1955 in Belo Horizonte) is a Brazilian former footballer. Well known for his tireless work-rate, energetic style of play, and tactical awareness. He was also known for his vision and passing range as a deep-lying playmaker.[1] Cerezo is commonly regarded as one of the finest Brazilian defensive midfielders of all time, most notably having played for his hometown's team Clube Atlético Mineiro.[2]
Career
Throughout his career, Cerezo played as a defensive midfielder with Atlético Mineiro, Roma, Sampdoria, São Paulo and the Brazilian national team.
While playing in Brazil, he won the Bola de Ouro in 1977 and 1980 and the Bola de Prata in 1976.
During his time in Italy, Cerezo won the Coppa Italia four times; in 1991 he won the Serie A with Sampdoria, but lost the Coppa Italia final to A.S. Roma.[3]
With São Paulo he was a two-time winner of the Intercontinental Cup, and also won the Copa Libertadores once. Cerezo was named the best player of the 1993 Intercontinental Cup final.[4]
In 1997, he retired as a player, and, after doing some studies and probations in Italy, he returned to Brazil, and start a career as a manager at Vitória, reaching the semifinals of the Brasileirão Série A. He also led Japanese powerhouse Kashima Antlers in the J. League for six years. He won five major titles in Japan, two league championships, one Emperor's Cup, and two league cups.
After his time in Japan, he coached Brazilian clubs Atlético Mineiro, and Guarani, as well as some Asian clubs, such as Al-Hilal, Al-Shabab, Al Ain; he later returned to Brazil once again as head manager of Sport do Recife, leaving the club just one month later.
National team
Cerezo won 57 caps (full international games), between March 1977 and June 1985, with the Brazilian national team, scoring seven goals.
He played in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where they finished in third place, and in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where they were eliminateed in the second round in a group which contained defending champions and continental rivals Argentina, as well as the eventual champions Italy. He was also due to go to the 1986 tournament, but a hamstring injury in May ruled him out of the upcoming World Cup.
At the 1982 FIFA World Cup one of his back passes was intercepted by Italian striker Paolo Rossi, who went on to score; the match ended in a 2–3 loss to Italy, which also saw Rossi score a hat-trick, and as a result, Brazil were knocked out of the tournament in a dramatic upset. For many years after the event, he was widely criticized for this error by many Brazilian fans and members of the press.
Honours
Player
Club
- Nacional
- Atlético Mineiro
- Roma
- Sampdoria
- São Paulo
Individual
Manager
Club
- Kashima Antlers
- Al-Shabab
Career statistics
| Brazil national team |
|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|
| 1977 | 11 | 2 |
| 1978 | 11 | 0 |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980 | 6 | 1 |
| 1981 | 13 | 2 |
| 1982 | 9 | 0 |
| 1983 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 57 | 5 |
Personal life
Cerezo is the father of four children, including fashion model Lea T.[8]
References
- ↑ Jonathan Wilson (25 July 2012). "Italy 3-2 Brazil, 1982: the day naivety, not football itself, died". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20150518091030/http://www.enciclopedia-football.com/web/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&view=details&id=309&catid=4&Itemid=1&lang=en
- ↑ Smyth, Rob (25 June 2009). "The forgotten story of ... Sampdoria's only scudetto". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ↑ "Toyota cups 1992 and 1993". FIFA.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ↑ South American Youth Championships – Topscorers
- ↑ FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info
- ↑ Tom, Phillips (31 July 2010). "Lea T and the loneliness of the fashion world's first transsexual supermodel". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
It was with undisguised glee that, once Leandro had appeared in photoshoots as Lea T, a Rio newspaper's gossip column revealed she was none other than the daughter of soccer hero Toninho Cerezo, the World Cup veteran and contemporary of legendary Brazil players like Falcão, Sócrates and Zico. He had not, the paper said, reacted well to its questions concerning his child's new existence. "We got in touch with the former star but, irritated, he limited himself to saying that he had four children, one of them called Leandro," the newspaper reported.
- Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 1 – Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
External links
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1 Placar started to give this prize to the best grade holder at Bola de Prata since 1973. In its 2013 ceremonies, a Bola de Ouro was given to Dirceu Lopes, holder of the best 1971 grade. Francisco Reyes and Elías Figueroa, holders of 1970 and 1972 ones respectively, have not been announced as these years' winners yet.
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