Djalma Santos

• 1. One Game in the Final

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  Djalma Santos did not play a single minute of the 1958 World Cup until the final itself. Brazil's coach had dropped him in favour of a player named De Sordi. Santos watched from the bench as Brazil progressed through the tournament. Then came the final against Sweden. Santos took the field, Brazil won 5-2, and he played so well in that single appearance that selectors named him to the tournament's All-Star Team.

  His full name was Djalma Pereira Dias dos Santos. He was born on the 27th of February 1929. Over the course of his career, he made 98 official appearances for Brazil and played in four consecutive World Cups. He accumulated more than 1,000 professional matches in total. Pelé included him among the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

• 2. Hometown to Portuguesa

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  Santos started his professional career in his hometown, at Portuguesa. He was initially deployed in the centre of defence, but coaches moved him to the right side. That positional shift shaped everything that followed.

  At Portuguesa, Santos played alongside Pinga, Julinho Botelho, and Brandãozinho as part of one of the strongest squads in the club's history. Together they won the Rio-São Paulo Tournament in 1952 and again in 1955. The Blue Ribbon competition came to Portuguesa in 1951 and in 1953. Santos accumulated 434 recorded appearances for the club between 1949 and 1958, making him the second-highest appearance holder in Portuguesa's history. Only a player known as Capitão, with 496 games, stood ahead of him.

  Santos made his Brazil debut against Peru in the Panamerican Championship. The match ended goalless. Brazil claimed that championship in 1952. He and Argentina's Néstor Rossi later became the only two players unanimously voted into the 1957 South American Championship squad.

• 3. The Palmeiras Years

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  Santos joined Palmeiras and went on to play 498 games in the club's green and white. That made him the seventh-highest appearance maker in the club's history.

  The squad he entered included Ademir da Guia, Julinho Botelho, Djalma Dias, and Vavá, all part of what the club called its first academy. Titles came steadily. Santos won the Paulista Championship in 1959, 1963, and 1966. He added Brazilian Championship titles in 1960 and 1967, and the Rio-São Paulo Tournament in 1965.

  On the 9th of November 1960, Santos was invited to wear the São Paulo jersey as an honour guest. The occasion was the inauguration of the Morumbi Stadium. He still belonged to Palmeiras at the time. Canhoteiro and Gino scored the goals in a 3-0 win over Nacional do Uruguay. Santos had never officially played for São Paulo as a club, but he was present for one of the landmark occasions in Brazilian football.

  Palmeiras reached the Copa Libertadores final twice while Santos played there, finishing runner-up in 1961 and again in 1968.

• 4. Battle of Berne

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  Switzerland hosted the 1954 World Cup, and Santos was in Brazil's squad for every match from the first. His tournament opened with a 5-0 win against Mexico.

  The game against Hungary proved the most consequential. Brazil lost 4-2 in what became known as the "Battle of Berne." The game is remembered for its violent episodes as much as for the scoreline. Santos scored from the penalty spot, his first goal for the national team. Despite the defeat, selectors named him to the tournament's All-Star Team. He was 25 years old.

  Santos left the 1954 tournament having played every match. In 1962, a single moment in the World Cup final would provide the defining image of his international career.

• 5. The 1962 Cross

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  Santos was back in Brazil's starting lineup for the 1962 World Cup. He played in every match as Brazil advanced to the final against Czechoslovakia.

  The decisive moment came when Santos spotted that the Slovak goalkeeper Viliam Schrojf had strayed off his line. Santos launched a high, looping ball toward goal, aided by the glare of the afternoon sun. Schrojf fumbled the cross. Vavá hammered the ball into the net. Brazil were champions again.

  That performance in 1962 earned Santos his third FIFA World Cup All-Star Team selection. Franz Beckenbauer and Philipp Lahm are the only other players ever to earn that distinction at three separate World Cup tournaments. World Soccer included Santos in its World XI in 1962 and again in 1963. FIFA named him to its own XI in 1963 as well.

• 6. Muralha

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  The Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano gave Santos his most enduring nickname: Muralha, Portuguese for the wall. The label reflected a combination of physical strength and defensive composure that Santos had built across years of professional football.

  He was quick and physically strong, effective in the air, precise in the tackle, and consistent in his marking. Santos was one of the first full-backs to make overlapping attacking runs down the flank, contributing to attacks as well as defending. He combined this with ball control and dribbling that allowed him to take on opponents even inside his own penalty area.

  Santos was also an accurate penalty and set-piece taker. He was known across the game for his ability to take exceptionally long throw-ins. In his entire career, Santos was never once dismissed from the pitch.

• 7. Playing Until Forty-Two

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  Santos was 37 years old when Brazil named him to the 1966 World Cup squad in England. His inclusion surprised a number of observers. The prevailing expectation had been that Carlos Alberto would take his place.

  Santos played in the first two matches of the tournament. After a 3-1 defeat to Hungary, he was dropped from the side. Brazil were eliminated in the following game against Portugal. Santos's fourth World Cup ended without silverware. He had played international football from 1952 to 1968.

  At Atlético Paranaense, Santos continued playing past his 42nd birthday. He was known there, as at every club before, for his discipline in training and his consistency as a professional.

  Santos died on the 23rd of July 2013 in Uberaba, where he had lived for two decades. He had been hospitalised since the 1st of July and died of pneumonia and severe hemodynamic instability, culminating in cardiac arrest. In 1994, FIFA named him to its World Cup All-Time Team. That recognition arrived more than twenty-five years after his last appearance in a Brazil shirt.