Zizinho

Thomaz Soares da Silva was born in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro. Joining Flamengo in 1939 as an eighteen-year-old replacement for the legendary Leônidas da Silva, Zizinho became the soul of the club, leading Flamengo to its first three-peat of Carioca championships (1942, 1943, 1944) and scoring 146 goals in 329 appearances. Transferred to Bangu in 1950 and later São Paulo, he captured titles wherever he played.

Zizinho was a complete attacking maestro: equally adept at controlling game tempo, threading surgical passes through packed defenses, and finishing with pinpoint headers and volleys. Italian sports journalist Giordano Fattori famously wrote of him in 1950: 'Zizinho plays football not like a sport, but like a painter on canvas or a composer conducting an orchestra.'

At the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, Zizinho was the undisputed star of the tournament, scoring against Yugoslavia and Spain as Brazil routed opponents. Although Brazil suffered the heartbreaking 'Maracanaço' defeat to Uruguay in the final match, Zizinho was voted the tournament's Best Player. Pelé consistently paid tribute to Zizinho, stating: 'Zizinho was a complete player. He had everything: dribbling, vision, passing, two feet. He was my model.'