Leônidas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Leônidas

Leônidas in 1940
Personal information
Full name	Leônidas da Silva
Date of birth	(1913-09-06)6 September 1913
Place of birth	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date of death	24 January 2004(2004-01-24) (aged 90)
Place of death	Cotia, Brazil
Height	1.68 m
Playing position	Centre forward
Youth career
1927–1929	São Cristóvão
1929–1930	Syrio e Libanez
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1930	Syrio e Libanez	5	(5)
1931–1932	Bonsucesso	39	(23)
1933	Peñarol	16	(11)
1934	Vasco da Gama	4	(1)
1935–1936	Botafogo	19	(8)
1936–1942	Flamengo	88	(89)
1943–1950	São Paulo	120	(93)
Total		291	(230)
National team
1932–1946	Brazil	19	(21)
Honours Representing  Brazil FIFA World Cup Third 1938 France
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Leônidas da Silva (born September 6, 1913 – died January 24, 2004) was a famous Brazilian football player. He played as a forward and was known for scoring many goals. Many people think he was one of the best players in the early 1900s. Leônidas played for the Brazil national team in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups. He was the top scorer in the 1938 tournament. People called him the "Black Diamond" and the "Rubber Man" because he was so quick and flexible on the field.

Club Career: Leônidas's Journey Through Teams

Leônidas started his football journey at a club called São Cristóvão. He then moved to Sírio e Libanez. There, he met his coach, Gentil Cardoso. When Cardoso went to coach Bonsucesso, Leônidas followed him.

Between 1931 and 1932, he played for Bonsucesso. In 1933, he joined Peñarol in Uruguay. After one year, Leônidas returned to Brazil. He joined Vasco da Gama and helped them win the Rio State Championship. This was a big win for the team.

After playing in the 1934 World Cup, he joined Botafogo. He won another Rio State Championship with them in 1935. The next year, he joined Flamengo, where he played until 1941. In 1939, his team won the Rio State Championship again. Leônidas was also important in fighting against unfair treatment in football. He was one of the first black players to join the Flamengo team, which was seen as a team for the elite at the time.

Leônidas joined São Paulo in 1942. He stayed with this club until he stopped playing football in 1950.

The Amazing Bicycle Kick

Leônidas is one of the players who might have invented the "Bicycle kick". This is a spectacular move where a player kicks the ball overhead while falling backward.

He first used this technique on April 24, 1932. This was in a match between Bonsucesso and Carioca. When he played for Flamengo, he used this move once in 1939 against an Argentinian team called Independiente. This unusual kick became very famous and helped make the bicycle kick popular in football.

For São Paulo, Leônidas used the bicycle kick two more times. The first was on June 14, 1942, in a game against Palestra Italia (now called Palmeiras). His most famous bicycle kick was on November 13, 1948. It happened during a huge 8–0 win against Juventus. A picture of this goal is one of the most famous images of Leônidas.

He also used the bicycle kick in the 1938 World Cup. Spectators loved it! The referee was so surprised by the move that he wasn't sure if it was allowed by the rules.

International Career: Playing for Brazil

Leônidas played 19 times for the Brazil national team between 1932 and 1946. He scored 21 goals in total for his country. He even scored two goals in his very first game.

In the 1938 World Cup, Leônidas was the top scorer with 7 goals. He scored three goals in one amazing game where Brazil beat Poland 6–5 in extra time.

However, the Polish players fouled him a lot, meaning they played unfairly against him. This caused him to get injured. For the next game against Czechoslovakia, he was not fully fit. Despite his injuries, the Brazilian team decided to keep Leônidas in the game. This was because of an issue with another player, Niginho, which meant he couldn't play. Leônidas managed to score against the Czechs, but his injuries got worse.

Because of his injuries, he could not play in the next game, which was the semi-final against Italy. Brazil lost that match 2–1. For many years, the coach, Adhemar Pimenta, was criticized. Many fans did not know how badly injured Leônidas was. They thought the coach chose to rest him on purpose for the final, which was not true. Leônidas later wrote a letter explaining that the coach had no choice but to rest him due to his injuries and the issue with Niginho.

Leônidas returned for the third-place match. He scored two more goals in a 4–2 win against Sweden. Brazil finished third in the tournament.

Personal Life: Beyond the Field

During the 1938 World Cup, Leônidas was given the nickname "Diamante Negro," which means "Black Diamond." The next year, a Brazilian chocolate company called Lacta bought the right to name a chocolate bar "Diamante Negro." This chocolate became very popular in Brazil.

After he stopped playing football, Leônidas became a manager for São Paulo in the 1950s. Later, he left football to work as a radio reporter. He then owned a furniture store in São Paulo.

Leônidas passed away in 2004 in Cotia, São Paulo. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease since 1974. He is buried in the Cemitério da Paz in São Paulo.

Honours: Leônidas's Achievements

Vasco da Gama

• Campeonato Carioca: 1934

Botafogo

• Campeonato Carioca: 1935

Flamengo

• Campeonato Carioca: 1939

São Paulo

• Campeonato Paulista: 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949

Brazil

• FIFA World Cup: third-place 1938

Individual Awards

• FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1938 (Top Scorer)
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1938 (Best Player)
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1938
• IFFHS Brazilian Player of the 20th Century (8th place)

See also

In Spanish: Leônidas da Silva para niños