Carlos Alberto Torres facts for kids

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Carlos Alberto Torres

Carlos Alberto with the NY Cosmos in 1978
Personal information
Full name	Carlos Alberto Torres
Date of birth	(1944-07-17)17 July 1944
Place of birth	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date of death	25 October 2016(2016-10-25) (aged 72)
Place of death	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height	1.80 m
Playing position	Right-back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1963–1966	Fluminense	98	(9)
1966–1974	Santos	445	(40)
1971	Botafogo	22	(0)
1974–1976	Fluminense	50	(4)
1976–1977	Flamengo	28	(3)
1977–1980	New York Cosmos	80	(6)
1981	California Surf	19	(2)
1982	New York Cosmos	20	(0)
Total		743	(64)
National team
1964–1977	Brazil	53	(8)
Teams managed
1983–1985	Flamengo
1985–1986	Corinthians
1987–1988	Náutico
1988	Miami Sharks
1989–1990	Once Caldas
1991–1992	Monterrey
1992	Tijuana
1993–1997	Botafogo
1994	Fluminense
1998	Atlético Mineiro
1998–1999	Querétaro
2000–2001	Unión Magdalena
2000–2001	Oman
2001–2002	Flamengo
2002	Botafogo
2004–2005	Paysandu
2005	Azerbaijan
Honours Men's Football Representing  Brazil FIFA World Cup Winner 1970 Mexico
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Carlos Alberto Torres (born July 17, 1944 – died October 25, 2016) was a famous Brazilian football player and manager. People often called him "Capita" or "O Capitão do Tri". He played as a right-back or wing-back.

Carlos Alberto was known for his amazing skills with the ball. He was also a great leader on the field. He is seen as one of the best defenders of all time. He was the captain of the Brazilian national team that won the 1970 World Cup. He even scored a fantastic goal in the final match. This goal is still thought of as one of the best in World Cup history.

He was part of the World Team of the 20th Century. In 2004, the legendary player Pelé named him in the FIFA 100 list. This list included the world's greatest living players. Carlos Alberto is also in the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 2013, he became one of the six Ambassadors for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

About Carlos Alberto's Life

Carlos Alberto was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1944. He had a twin brother named Carlos Roberto. Sadly, his brother passed away just one month before him in 2016. Carlos Alberto's son, Carlos Alexandre Torres, also became a football player. He also had a daughter named Andrea Torres.

Playing for Clubs

Playing in Brazil

Carlos Alberto started his football journey at Fluminense when he was 19. He quickly became well-known. He was great at tackling and understanding the game. He also had amazing ball control and dribbling skills. These skills were very rare for a defender back then.

In 1966, he moved to Santos. There, he became teammates with the famous Pelé. In 1974, he went back to Fluminense. He helped his team win two Campeonato Carioca championships in a row. In 1977, he joined Flamengo, a big rival of Fluminense.

Playing in the NASL

In 1977, Carlos Alberto decided to move to the New York Cosmos in the United States. He joined his friend and former teammate Pelé there. He helped the Cosmos win two NASL titles. They won in 1977 and 1978.

After playing one year with the California Surf, he returned to the Cosmos in 1982. He won his third NASL title with them. Carlos Alberto played his last game on September 28, 1982. It was a special match between the Cosmos and his old club, Flamengo. He played 119 regular season games and 26 playoff games. He scored 8 goals in total. He was also named an NASL All-Star five times.

Playing for Brazil

Carlos Alberto with the Brazil national team in 1970

From 1964 to 1977, Carlos Alberto played 53 games for the Brazilian national team. He scored 8 goals. He was part of the training squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not make it to the final team. Brazil did not do well in that World Cup.

After that, João Saldanha became the new coach. He saw Carlos Alberto's strong leadership skills. Saldanha made him the national team captain. Carlos Alberto is famous for holding up the Jules Rimet trophy. This happened after Brazil won the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final against Italy. That team was full of stars like Clodoaldo, Gérson, Jairzinho, Roberto Rivelino, Tostão, and Pelé.

Carlos Alberto's goal against Italy in the final is one of the best ever. In 2002, people in the UK voted it as one of the "100 Greatest Sporting Moments." The 1970 World Cup was the only one he played in. He could not play in the 1974 FIFA World Cup because of a knee injury. Even after he recovered, he was not as fast. But his ability to read the game helped him. He moved to play as a centre-back.

In 1977, he was called back to the national team. He captained the team for the first three games of the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was almost 33 years old. He retired from international football right before joining the New York Cosmos. Today, many people believe he is one of Brazil's greatest football players ever.

Becoming a Coach

Carlos Alberto in 2011

Carlos Alberto started his coaching career in 1983. His first team was Flamengo. He also coached many other clubs. These included Corinthians (1985-1986), Náutico (1986-1988), Once Caldas (1989-1990), and Monterrey (1991-1992). He also coached Club Tijuana (1992), Fluminense (1994-1995), and Botafogo multiple times. Later, he managed Querétaro F.C. (1999), Unión Magdalena (2000-2001), and Paysandu (2005).

He also worked as an assistant coach for national teams. These included the Nigeria national football team and the Oman national football team. On February 14, 2004, he became the manager of the Azerbaijan national football team. He left this role in June 2005 after a match against Poland.

His Passing

Carlos Alberto passed away in Rio de Janeiro on October 25, 2016. He had a sudden heart attack. He was working as a sports commentator for a Brazilian TV channel, SporTV. He had been on live TV just two days before he died. His death happened exactly one month after his twin brother passed away.

Career Statistics

Club Games

Carlos Alberto (right) with countryfellow Pelé in the New York Cosmos, October 1977

International Games

Awards and Honours

Fluminense

• Campeonato Carioca: 1964, 1975, 1976
• Taça Guanabara: 1966

Santos

• Recopa Sul-Americana: 1968
• Taça de Prata: 1968
• Paulista Championship: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973

New York Cosmos

• NASL Soccer Bowl Championships: 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982

Brazil

• Pan American Games champion: 1963.
• FIFA World Cup: 1970

Individual Awards

• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1970
• World Team of the 20th Century: 1998
• National Soccer Hall of Fame: 2003
• FIFA 100: 2004
• The Best of The Best – Player of the Century: Top 50
• Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
• Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020
• IFFHS All-time Men's B Dream Team: 2021

See also

In Spanish: Carlos Alberto Torres para niños