Donizete Pantera facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Donizete Pantera

Donizete Pantera in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Osmar Donizete Cândido
Date of birth	(1968-10-24) 24 October 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth	Prados, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Height	1.79 m
Playing position	Winger Striker
Club information
Current club	CFZ do Rio (assistant manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1987–1988	Volta Redonda	0	(0)
1988–1989	São José-SP	0	(0)
1989–1990	Botafogo	15	(1)
1990–1995	Tecos UAG	183	(39)
1995–1996	Botafogo	24	(6)
1996	Verdy Kawasaki	14	(6)
1996–1997	Benfica	16	(7)
1997	Corinthians	21	(4)
1997–2000	Vasco da Gama	30	(8)
1997	→ Cruzeiro (loan)	0	(0)
2000	Tigres	11	(0)
2000–2001	Botafogo	17	(3)
2001	Palmeiras	6	(1)
2003	Tecos UAG	18	(3)
2003	Vasco da Gama	15	(3)
2004–2005	Tecos UAG	8	(0)
2005	Macaé	0	(0)
2006	Londrina	0	(0)
Total		378	(81)
National team
1995–1998	Brazil	9	(2)
Teams managed
2015	CFZ do Rio (assistant manager)
Honours Representing  Brazil Men's football CONCACAF Gold Cup Bronze 1998 United States
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Osmar Donizete Cândido (born October 24, 1968), known as Donizete Pantera, is a retired Brazilian footballer. He played as a forward, scoring many goals for his teams. Today, he works as an assistant manager at CFZ do Rio.

Donizete earned the nickname Pantera (Panther) in Mexico. He was known for his speed and powerful playing style. He won the best player award in Mexico in 1994. He also helped Botafogo win a major Brazilian championship in 1995. Later, he was a key player when Vasco da Gama won the Copa Libertadores in 1998.

He played for the Brazilian national team from 1995 to 1998. He played 9 games and scored 2 goals. However, he was not chosen for the 1998 FIFA World Cup team. He said this was the biggest disappointment of his life.

Donizete's Club Career

Donizete Pantera was born in Prados, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He started his football journey at age 19 with Volta Redonda. After a short time, he moved to São José in 1988. There, his team finished second in the Campeonato Paulista in 1989. They lost the final to São Paulo.

Playing for Botafogo and Tecos

His great playing skills led him to join Botafogo. In 1990, Donizete Pantera moved to Mexico to play for Tecos UAG. He played there for five seasons. He was a very important player when Tecos won their first and only league title in 1994. In the final game, Donizete scored a crucial goal. This goal helped Tecos win the championship. Because of his amazing performance, he won the award for the best player in the league, called the Balon de Oro.

In 1995, Donizete returned to Botafogo. He teamed up with another great player, Túlio Maravilha. Together, they helped Botafogo win their second Brazilian league title. Donizete said that playing with Túlio was the best partnership he ever had. He said they scored goals in every possible way.

Playing Abroad and Returning to Brazil

For the next two seasons, Donizete played outside Brazil. First, he played for Verdy Kawasaki in Japan in 1996. Then, he moved to Portugal to play for Benfica. He played his first game for Benfica in August 1996. He scored his first goals in September, scoring twice in one game. He played alongside João Pinto at Benfica. He scored 9 goals in 22 games before moving back to Brazil in January 1997.

Back in Brazil, he joined Corinthians. He played with Túlio Maravilha again. They won the Campeonato Paulista together, beating São Paulo. Later in 1997, Donizete Pantera moved to Vasco da Gama. He was loaned to Cruzeiro for one game, the 1997 Intercontinental Cup. His team lost that game.

Winning the Copa Libertadores

At Vasco da Gama, he played with Luizão. They helped the team win the 1998 Copa Libertadores. This is a very important tournament in South American football. Donizete scored in both final games as Vasco defeated Barcelona (from Ecuador) by a total score of 4–1.

He stayed at Vasco da Gama until 2000. He lost his regular spot in the team when famous players like Romário and Edmundo joined. In 2000, Donizete, who was 32, had a short time playing for Tigres in Mexico. He then returned to Botafogo. In his final years, he played for Palmeiras, and returned to Tecos and Vasco da Gama. He finally retired from playing football in 2006. After retiring, he started a foundation called Fundação Pantera Negra. This foundation helps young football talents. He also studied to become a football manager.

Donizete's International Career

Donizete made his first appearance for the Brazilian national team on November 8, 1995. It was a friendly game against Argentina in Buenos Aires. He scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory for Brazil. It took nearly 15 years for Brazil to win a game in Argentina again after that!

He scored his second goal on August 28, 1996, against Russia. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. His last game for Brazil was on February 15, 1998, against Jamaica. This was during the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Donizete shared that his biggest disappointment was not being part of the 1998 FIFA World Cup team. He said he was playing very well for Vasco da Gama. He believed he would be chosen for the World Cup. However, another player, Bebeto, took his spot. Then, even when Romário was injured, Donizete was not called up. He felt sad that they chose a defensive midfielder instead of him. He truly felt that missing the 1998 World Cup was the biggest letdown of his life.

Honours and Awards

Donizete Pantera won several important titles and awards during his career:

Club Titles

• UAG Tecos
  • Mexico Primera División: 1993–1994
• Botafogo
  • Campeonato Brasileiro: 1995
• Vasco da Gama
  • Copa Libertadores da América: 1998

Individual Awards

• Mexican Primera División Golden Ball: 1993–1994 (Award for best player)
• Mexican league top-scorer: 1995 (Scored the most goals)
• Bola de Prata: 1995 (A prestigious Brazilian football award)

See also

In Spanish: Donizete Pantera para niños