Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, better known as Sócrates (February 19, 1954 - December 4, 2011), was a Brazilian former football player. He was greatly appreciated for his ability to read the play. His biggest feature was heel passes.
His father was an enthusiast of Greek Philosophy.
That's why he took his name from his namesake thousands of centuries ago, Brazilian football player Dr. Socrates
(His other two brothers were also named Sophocles and Sosthenes.)
Socrates studied both medicine and philosophy.
in his country; He donned the jerseys of Botafogo, Corinthians, Flamengo, Santos, and Fiorentina in Italy.
In the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, Dr. Socrates was the captain of the "Sambacilar", famous for his accurate shots, elegant ball control, and heel passes.
He has always been called the "philosopher" of green fields.
Socrates was a revolutionary who sided with labor.
Even during the dictatorship, he took to the field wearing a "democracy" headband and a t-shirt.
Andrew Downie's book includes the following statements:
“Socrates positions himself as the spokesperson for the Brazilian poor, speaking about democracy and social justice as much as football. Radio and TV interviews begin with questions about fixtures and lineups, but Socrates somehow brings the subject to politics, education, public health and the economy. Brazil. For the first time in its history, an athlete took the microphone in his hand and the right was listening to him with all his ears."
He is the one who started the "Corinthian Democracy" movement in Corinthians so that the football players can have a say in the administration.
Its aim was to ensure that "football player, worker, and management, with equal voting rights, decide on changes to contracts, promotions, and dismissals."
In an interview, his idols; said that he was a doctor like himself, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and John Lennon.
He named his son "Fidel" because of his great love.
He wandered around the poor neighborhoods and neighborhoods of Brazil; He contributed to the treatment of the sick and needy as a socialist doctor. After quitting football, he also worked as a sports doctor.
"Doctor" was his most well-known and used nickname as well as his title.
His other nickname was "Magrão", that is, "The Great Skinny Man"!
Classic goal celebration; "Lifting your right fist in the air with the fans!"
One of Socrates' traits that surprised his teammates was his honesty.
Sometimes the referee would steal a penalty, and he would come out and say, "It wasn't a penalty."
Socrates was a true legend, but nothing he did or said in his lifetime was as legendary as his famous premonition; 'I want to die on a Sunday when Corinthians win the championship.'
It was both a terrifying and romantic wish.
He was only 57 when his wish came true on December 4, 2011.
“Socrates was one of those rare football geniuses who was more important off the field than on the field.
He played a big role in changing not only the football team but also the country.
During the difficult years of Brazil's transition from dictatorship to democracy, instead of going to Europe and getting rich, he stayed in the country and supported the change and people.
Socrates left a mark not only with the football he played but also with his socialist attitude, rhetoric, and actions.
He is a rarity who has managed to become the philosopher, legend, and doctor of football.
Oh, Socrates...
Those who are older will remember, it was the best team in the history of the world cup that did not win the trophy, Brazil of the 1982 World Cup; Leandro, Zico, Falcao, Cerezo, Eder, Junior… That team has never achieved real success on the international stage, but their offensive football and their brilliant goals remain in our football memories.
He was born on February 9, 1954, in the city of "Belem do Para", Brazil, to a poor family. His father, who was fond of Greek mythology, named him “Socrates”, the other two brothers' names are Sofocles and Sosthenes. At the age of 10, he witnessed all the pains of the military coup in his country; In the following years, he became famous as a leader who stood against all social injustices in his country. During the years he played football, he studied medicine; After his career, he founded a clinic dealing with athlete health as a certified doctor; he also worked in a poor neighborhood hospital; gave seminars on leadership and social relations; Published articles in newspapers. It is not for nothing that he is known as "O Doutor" (doctor) in his country. He started his career at Botafogo in 1974, playing for Corinthians, Fiorentina, Flamengo, and Santos teams. His first team, Botafogo… debuted with the team at the age of 18 but refused to sign a professional contract because he still saw football as just a pastime and didn't want it to distract him any further from medical school. However, the management was insistent and therefore an arrangement was made that the football player did not need to train, but only played in matches. In this way, while devoting most of his time to his lessons, he made money by playing the game he loved…
For those who haven't watched it, he started football as a striker, then shone as an offensive midfielder. Number 10, who can use his two feet like a racket, manages offensive games like an orchestra conductor, adjusts the tempo, scores terrific goals with his shots from afar, and can pass people in the phone booth. He didn't usually attend his teammates' celebrations when he scored goals, and although he wasn't the fastest player and preferred to play the game at a slower pace, he stood out for his football intelligence and ability to read the game. When he became a doctor in 1977, at the age of 23, graduating from the Medical University of Sao Paulo, the Botafogo management did not intend to leave him, offering him the money he could not earn in his profession, allowing him to sign a contract. He devoted himself to football but did not give up drinking and smoking. He transferred to Corinthians, one of the giants of the country's football, in 1978. He stayed with the team until 1984, with 74 goals in 135 matches.
In 1981, at the age of 27, he was captain of both the club and the national team. At the age of 27, the social inequalities surrounding him in Brazilian football and daily life in the country long oppressed by a military dictatorship were stark and alarming. When a younger and more progressive football director was appointed to Corinthians, he saw an opportunity to start an insider revolution. He started a movement that would later become known as the "Democracy of Corinthians" and soon gave equal voting rights to everyone in the club, from the president to the cleaners to the outfitters. They decided together on everything from how and when the team would travel to away games. While winning bonuses were shared equally among all players, all club personnel received a share of that bonus. The movement he started was given the slogan "Freedom with Responsibility". The team's 27 million supporters across the country had noticed the change. They started cheering and singing in the name of democracy at the matches. In his democracy speech in front of 1.5 million Brazilians in 1984, he brought up the constitutional amendment in order for congress to reschedule the elections. He transferred to Fiorentina in 1984, when the democracy movement was beginning to rise.
He was fond of liquor and cigarettes; thus to nightlife and women. He has had four marriages, once announcing that he would invite his teammates to his wedding the following weekend. "I can't come next weekend," one of his friends said, "but don't worry, I'll be back next time." In Andrew Downie's book about his life (Doctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher, Legend), Fiorentina describes the beginning of his career with the following story. His first days at Fiorentina in May 1984… During a pre-season medical exam with his teammates, he calmly lights a cigarette and takes a puff while waiting to get on the treadmill for respiratory and cardiology tests at the Florence medical center. Meanwhile, the team doctor enters but cannot believe what he sees. "We're about to test your breath, what are you doing with that cigarette?" he asks in surprise. "But doctor," says the football player, "I'm warming up my lungs for the exam." His teammates collapse to the ground laughing, and the doctor comes out in anger. That event marks the beginning of the Brazilian's unhappy times in Italy. He emphasized that from the first day he would not compromise on his personality and would go his own way. When asked which Italian he respects most, Mazzola or Rivera (Inter and AC Milan's players), his response is noteworthy: “I don't know them. I am here to read Gramsci in its original language and to study the history of the labor movement.” After an unhappy season in Italy, he returned to his country in 1986 with the Flamengo team. He then played for Santos. He was 36 years old when he quit football in 1990.
In 2004, he returned to football as a coach-football player in the Garforth Town team in the northern amateur leagues of England. He was 50 years old when he entered the field in the last 12 minutes of the game against Tadcaster Albion, where he stayed for a month. It's the kind that would suit a football lover. He was 57 years old when he passed away on December 4, 2011, at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paul, leaving behind six children and a nation crying. In an interview with him shortly before his death, he said that the three people who influenced and inspired him the most in his life were John Lennon, Che Guevara, and Fidel Castro. Cuba was the Brazil of his dreams. “I wish I was born in Cuba!” said. A country where everyone has the same opportunities, where equality is fundamental, and where there is no gap between the rich and the poor. Asked if he was upset that he never made it to the World Cup, he replied: “What do titles matter? We brought excitement to the tournament with the game we played. We were the most enjoyable team in that tournament. Ask people, what they remember from the 1982 World Cup. Let me tell you, not Italy, but Brazil!” He stated that the best thing football gave him was the chance to get to know people. And he continued: “I could see both sides of the society we live in.”