João Saldanha facts for kids
Saldanha in 1973
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Alves Jobin Saldanha | ||
| Date of birth | 3 July 1917 | ||
| Place of birth | Alegrete, Brazil | ||
| Date of death | 12 July 1990 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Rome, Italy | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Botafogo | |||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1957–1959 | Botafogo | ||
| 1969–1970 | Brazil | ||
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João Alves Jobin Saldanha (born July 3, 1917 – died July 12, 1990) was a famous Brazilian journalist and football manager. People called him João Sem Medo, which means Fearless João, because he was never afraid to speak his mind.
Saldanha played football for Botafogo when he was younger. Later, he became a journalist and wrote many sports articles. He often shared his strong opinions about players, coaches, and teams. He was also a member of a political party that was not allowed at the time, called the Brazilian Communist Party.
Contents
João Saldanha's Life and Career
Becoming a Football Coach
In 1957, the Botafogo football club asked João Saldanha to be their coach. This was a surprise because he didn't have much experience coaching. But he did a great job! His team won the Rio state championship that year. He stayed with the club until 1959.
Coaching the Brazilian National Team
In 1969, Saldanha was chosen to coach the Brazil national football team. He led them to an amazing start, winning all six of their qualifying matches for the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Some people believe the head of the football federation, João Havelange, picked Saldanha hoping that journalists would be less critical of the team if one of their own was in charge.
Saldanha was known for his strong personality. He sometimes had disagreements with other coaches. He was also very independent when choosing players for the national team. He believed in picking players based on their skill, not on who powerful people wanted in the team. He even disagreed with the country's president about player choices. This showed how much he stood by his decisions. Eventually, he left the national team because it became difficult for him to work with some of the staff.
Back to Journalism
After coaching, Saldanha went back to his career as a journalist. He covered many important football events, including the 1970 and 1974 World Cups for TV Globo. He also reported on the 1986 and 1990 World Cups for TV Manchete.
João Saldanha passed away in Rome, Italy, in 1990. He had been admitted to the hospital with breathing problems after commenting on a World Cup match.
Achievements
Botafogo
- Campeonato Carioca: 1957
Legacy
João Saldanha is still remembered in Brazilian football. Since 2004, the winners of the second part of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Brazil's top football league) receive the "Troféu João Saldanha". This award is given by a Brazilian newspaper called Lance!.
See also
In Spanish: João Saldanha para niños
