Telê Santana facts for kids
Telê Santana holding a São Paulo F.C. jersey
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Telê Santana da Silva | ||
| Date of birth | 26 July 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Itabirito, Brazil | ||
| Date of death | 21 April 2006 (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1951–1960 | Fluminense | 557 | (162) |
| 1960–1962 | Guarani | ||
| 1963 | Vasco da Gama | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1969–1970 | Fluminense | ||
| 1970–1972 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| 1973 | São Paulo | ||
| 1973–1975 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| 1976 | Botafogo | ||
| 1976–1978 | Grêmio | ||
| 1979–1980 | Palmeiras | ||
| 1980–1982 | Brazil | ||
| 1983–1985 | Al-Ahli | ||
| 1985–1986 | Brazil | ||
| 1987–1988 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| 1988–1989 | Flamengo | ||
| 1989 | Fluminense | ||
| 1990 | Palmeiras | ||
| 1990–1996 | São Paulo | ||
|
|||
Telê Santana da Silva, known as Telê Santana, was a famous Brazilian football manager and a former player. He was born on July 26, 1931, in Itabirito, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He passed away on April 21, 2006.
Telê Santana was the coach for the Brazilian national team in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Many people remember the 1982 team as one of the best football teams ever, even though they didn't win the World Cup. That team had amazing players like Zico, Sócrates, Falcão, Júnior, and Toninho Cerezo.
He was also a very successful coach for many club teams. He led the famous São Paulo teams in 1992 and 1993. He also had a big impact on teams like Atlético Mineiro and Fluminense.
Brazilian sports news often talks about Telê as one of the most important football managers in the country's history. He loved an attacking style of play. He believed in training players by repeating basic skills, like passing the ball and practicing set pieces.
Contents
Telê Santana's Football Journey
Playing Football
Telê Santana started his football career as a player. He played for clubs such as Fluminense, Madureira, and Vasco da Gama. He was also a reserve player for the Brazil national football team.
He mostly played as a centre forward. Interestingly, he actually started his career as a goalkeeper!
Coaching Football Teams
Telê Santana began his coaching career in 1967. He first coached the youth team at Fluminense. Four years later, in 1971, he led Atlético Mineiro to win their first ever Brazilian championship.
He coached the Brazilian national team in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Many consider these two Brazilian teams to be among the best ever. However, they did not win the tournament on either occasion.
After coaching the national team, Santana returned to club management in 1988 with Flamengo. But his most successful time was with São Paulo between 1990 and 1996. He built an amazing team with players like Zetti, Cafu, Raí, and Leonardo. Many of these players later played for the national team in 1994.
This São Paulo team won the Brazilian championship in 1991. Then, they won the Libertadores Cup in 1992 and 1993. This was the first time a Brazilian club had won it in 10 years! In those same two years, São Paulo also won the world club title in Tokyo. They beat Johan Cruyff's FC Barcelona and then Fabio Capello's A.C. Milan. Fans still remember this São Paulo team as one of the most exciting in the club's history.
Telê Santana's Lasting Impact
Many people say that Telê Santana helped bring back the jogo bonito (which means "beautiful game" in Portuguese) to Brazilian football. His style of play was all about attacking. This was clearly seen with the 1982 Brazil national team. They lost 3-2 to Italy in the World Cup.
Some people criticized Santana for not changing Brazil's attacking style against Italy. Brazil only needed a tie to reach the semifinals. Some thought he should have focused more on defense. Even though he never led Brazil to win the World Cup, he is still seen as one of the greatest coaches and innovators in Brazilian football history.
Santana once said he didn't have any idols. But he mentioned that his greatest joy would be to coach a team like the 1974 Holland team. He admired how players like [Johan] Cruyff and Neeskens could play well in many different positions. He tried to use a similar idea with his 1992 São Paulo team, using players who could play in different spots as needed.
The media once called him the "last romantic of Brazilian football." He always strongly supported fair play and was against violence in the game.
Later Life and Passing
In 1996, Telê Santana had to retire from coaching after he suffered a stroke. In 2003, part of his left leg had to be removed because of a problem with blood flow (called ischemia) in his left foot. He had the surgery in Belo Horizonte.
Telê Santana passed away on April 21, 2006, due to an infection in his abdomen. He was buried in Cemitério Parque da Colina, in Belo Horizonte. He was survived by his wife, Ivonete, and their son and daughter.
Achievements and Awards
As a Player
- Club
- 1951 - Campeonato Carioca (Fluminense)
- 1952 - Copa Rio (Fluminense)
- 1957 - Torneio Rio-São Paulo (Fluminense)
- 1959 - Campeonato Carioca (Fluminense)
- 1960 - Torneio Rio-São Paulo (Fluminense)
As a Manager
- Club
- 1969 - Taça Guanabara and Campeonato Carioca (Fluminense)
- 1970 - Campeonato Mineiro (Atlético Mineiro)
- 1971 - Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Atlético Mineiro)
- 1977 - Campeonato Gaúcho (Grêmio)
- 1983 - King's Cup (Al-Ahli)
- 1984 - Saudi League (Al-Ahli)
- 1985 - Gulf Club Champions Cup (Al-Ahli)
- 1988 - Campeonato Mineiro (Atlético Mineiro)
- 1989 - Taça Guanabara (Flamengo)
- 1991 - Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (São Paulo)
- 1991, 1992 - Campeonato Paulista (São Paulo)
- 1992, 1993 - Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup (São Paulo)
- 1993 - Supercopa Sudamericana (São Paulo)
- 1993, 1994 - Recopa Sudamericana (São Paulo)
- 1994 - Copa CONMEBOL (São Paulo)
- Individual
- 1992 - South American Coach of the Year
See also
In Spanish: Telê Santana para niños
