Leônidas (footballer, born 1913)

• 1. Introduction

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  On the 13th of November 1948, Leônidas da Silva scored a bicycle kick for São Paulo in an 8-0 rout of Juventus. A camera caught the play and the goal. That photograph is regarded as the most famous picture of him.

  Leônidas was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. He was born on the 6th of September 1913. He is regarded as one of the most important players of the first half of the twentieth century.

  Why was a referee at a World Cup unsure whether his signature move was even legal? Who was really responsible for an absence that Brazilian fans blamed on a coach for decades? And how did a footballer's nickname turn into something sold in shops?

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• 2. Club Journey

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  Leônidas began his career at São Cristóvão. He then moved to Sírio e Libanez, a Carioca side, where the coach was Gentil Cardoso. When Cardoso left to take charge of Bonsucesso, he brought Leônidas along.

  Between 1931 and 1932, Leônidas played for Bonsucesso. In 1933 he left Brazil to join Peñarol in Uruguay. After one year there, he returned home to sign with Vasco da Gama and helped them win the Rio State Championship.

  Botafogo came next, after the 1934 World Cup, and he won another Rio State Championship with them in 1935. In 1936 he moved to Flamengo and stayed until 1941. The team won the Rio State Championship again in 1939, and the honours list also records the Torneio Rio-São Paulo in 1940.

  São Paulo signed him in 1942, and he remained there until he stopped playing in 1950. The honours list records Campeonato Paulista titles in 1943, 1945, 1946-1948 and 1949. The last of those came one year before his retirement.

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• 3. The Bicycle Kick

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  Leônidas is one of several players credited with inventing the bicycle kick. His first use of it came on the 24th of April 1932, in a match between Bonsucesso and Carioca.

  During his years at Flamengo, he played the move only once. That was in 1939, against the Argentinian team Independiente. The unusual volley won huge fame at the time and pushed the technique into the football mainstream.

  For São Paulo, he used it on two occasions. The first was on the 14th of June 1942, in a defeat against Palestra Italia, the club now known as Palmeiras. The second came six years later.

  The 1938 World Cup gave the kick its biggest stage. Spectators delighted in it. The referee was so startled by the volley that he was unsure whether it was within the rules.

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• 4. Two World Cups

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  On the 27th of May 1934, Brazil lost 1-3 to Spain at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa. Leônidas scored once and played all 90 minutes. The 1934 record lists only that match for him.

  Across his international career he played 19 times for Brazil between 1932 and 1946. He scored 21 goals in total, including two on his debut. Brazil finished as Copa América runner-up in 1946.

  On the 5th of June 1938, at the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, Brazil beat Poland 6-5 after extra time. Leônidas scored three times and played all 120 minutes. The Poles fouled him frequently as a result.

  By the end of the tournament he had scored 7 goals and was the top scorer. He also took the Golden Boot, the Golden Ball and a place in the All-Star Team. Yet one of the games he missed would shape how Brazil remembers him.

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• 5. The Niginho Affair

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  Niginho, a player with Italian citizenship, was still legally attached to Lazio in 1938. He had left the club without permission in 1936, out of fear of being recruited by the Italian Army for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. The Italian Football Federation warned FIFA about his irregular status.

  Brazil's next match was against Czechoslovakia, and Leônidas was not in ideal condition. The Brazilian staff worried about punishment if Niginho took his place. They kept Leônidas in the team, and he scored against the Czechs, but his injuries grew worse.

  On the 16th of June 1938, at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, Brazil lost the semi-final to Italy 2-1. Leônidas could not play, and the Niginho affair kept Niginho out as well. Romeu filled in as an improvised center-forward and scored Brazil's goal late in the game.

  Coach Adhemar Pimenta was criticized for many years afterward. Many fans, unaware of how hurt Leônidas was, believed Pimenta had arrogantly rested him for the final. That version still circulates. Leônidas wrote a letter, published by certain newspapers at the time, explaining that Pimenta had no choice because of the Niginho affair.

  Leônidas came back for the third place match on the 19th of June at Parc Lescure in Bordeaux. He scored two more goals in a 4-2 win over Sweden.

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• 6. Breaking Barriers

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  Flamengo was an elitist team when Leônidas arrived, and he was one of the first black players to join it. He stood at the forefront of the movement against prejudice in football.

  In the 1930s and 1940s, Leônidas was a celebrity against a backdrop of controversy and racial discrimination in Brazil. His humble beginnings and his racial representation helped make him popular nationwide. He could also relate to the working classes of Brazil, and that connection deepened his impact on and off the field.

  In 1931, the people of Rio de Janeiro greeted him and his team in the streets after they won the Brazilian Club Championship. Cheerful crowds danced and celebrated the victory.

  His agility on the pitch earned him the nickname "Rubber Man". A second nickname would soon follow, and it would carry far more commercial weight.

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• 7. Black Diamond

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  During the 1938 World Cup, Leônidas was nicknamed "Black Diamond", or Diamante Negro in Portuguese. His performances at the tournament brought him massive popularity. Advertising offers followed, including ones for watches and cigarettes.

  He was willing to give interviews and stayed constantly in the public eye. That openness made fans feel personally connected to him. Later in 1938, a popularity contest was held with Leônidas among the contenders, and he won it with 249,080 votes.

  Historically, he is well known for his contribution to the relationship between consumerism and the business side of football in Brazil. The clearest example came in 1939. The Brazilian chocolate manufacturer Lacta bought from him the right to name a chocolate bar Diamante Negro, and the brand became a commercial success in Brazil.

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• 8. Later Years

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  In the 1950s, Leônidas joined São Paulo as manager. He later left football to become a radio reporter. After that, he became the owner of a furniture store in São Paulo.

  His honours also include the Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais. He won it with the Rio de Janeiro State Team in 1931-1938 and 1940, and with the São Paulo State Team in 1942.

  Alzheimer's disease had afflicted him since 1974. He died on the 24th of January 2004 in Cotia, São Paulo, from complications of the illness. He is buried in the Cemitério da Paz of São Paulo.

  Years after his playing days ended, the IFFHS placed him eighth on its list of Brazilian players of the 20th century.

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