Gilmar
Brazilian footballer (1930-2013)
Gylmar dos Santos Neves (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʒiwˈmaʁ duˈsɐ̃tuz ˈnɛvis]; 22 August 1930, 25 August 2013), known simply as Gilmar, was a Brazilian footballer who played goalkeeper for Corinthians and Santos and was a member of the Brazil national team in three World Cups. He was elected the best Brazilian goalkeeper of the 20th century and one of the best in the world by the IFFHS. He is remembered for his sober style on the pitch and his peaceful personality.
Alex Bellos says in his book Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life that Gilmar is named after his parents, Gilberto and Maria. Gilmar was the starting goalkeeper for Pelé's Santos and Brazilian national teams of the 1960s. In 1998, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit.
01Club career
Gilmar was born in Santos, São Paulo, and started his career playing for hometown side Jabaquara. In 1951 he joined Corinthians, winning three Campeonato Paulista titles with the club in 1951, 1952 and 1954.
In 1961, Gilmar signed for Santos, being a part of the team who was known as Os Santásticos. An immediate starter, he won five Campeonato Paulista (1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968), five Taça Brasil (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965), two Copa Libertadores (1962 and 1963) and two Intercontinental Cups (1962 against Eusébio's Benfica and 1963 against Milan).
02International career
Gilmar played 94 times with the Brazil national team. He was selected to the national squad for three straight World Cups, between 1958 and 1966. He was part of the starting team in the first two World Cups Brazil won, in 1958 and 1962, and is the only goalkeeper to win two consecutive World Cups in the starting position.
03Style of play
Gilmar is regarded by some pundits as one of the greatest Brazilian goalkeepers of all time. In the opinion of Grahame L. Jones, Gilmar was an agile shot-stopper, who possessed excellent reflexes, and who was also known for his composure under pressure, as well as his ability to inspire a sense of calm and confidence in his defenders.
04Death
Gilmar died of a stroke on 25 August 2013, three days after his 83rd birthday.
05Honours
Corinthians
Santos
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968
- Campeonato Paulista: 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968
- Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1963, 1964, 1966
- Copa Libertadores: 1962, 1963
- Intercontinental Cup: 1962, 1963
Brazil
- FIFA World Cup: 1958, 1962
- Taça do Atlântico: 1956, 1960
- Copa América runner-up: 1953, 1957, 1959
Individual
- Campeonato Paulista Team of the Tournament: 1952, 1954
- Torneio Rio-São Paulo Team of the Tournament: 1954, 1955
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Gilmar”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Gilmar (cropped).jpg by Aftonbladet photo, Public domain
- Werner Haberkorn - Retrato de Gilmar dos Santos Neves - Goleiro da Seleção Brasileira de Futebol nas copas do mundo de 1954. 1958. 1962 e 1966 (cropped).jpg by Werner Haberkorn/Museu Paulista da USP, Public domain
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