60 years ago, the eternal Doctor Sócrates was born

Sixty years ago today, on19th February 1954, Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza, one of the greatest players ever to wear the Corinthians shirt, was born in Belém. He was known to many of his friends as Magrão (the Big Skinny One), but to the Corinthians faithful he will always be the eternal Doctor Sócrates.

Sócrates arrived at Corinthians in 1978, and with his remarkable technique (especially his backheels) and his political conscience, he became more than just one of the club's key players. Doutor Socrates became an important personality throughout all of Brazilian football.

He was one of the leaders of the Corinthians Democracy, a landmark movement that began in the early 1980s when Brazil began to move away from the military dictatorship that controlled the country between 1964 and 1985. An integral part of the movement, Sócrates became an idol not just for his footballing exploits, but also for being an upstanding citizen.

On the pitch, he was a genius. He played 297 times for Corinthians, scoring 172 goals. Besides winning the Paulista State Championsip in 1979, he was also one of the key players in the squad that won that trophy twice in a row in 1982 and 1983. That was the famous Corinthians Democracy team that featured other greats such as Casagrande, Wladimir, Biro-Biro and Zenon, among others.

Unfortunately, Sócrates is no longer with us to celebrate his 60th birthday. The Doctor died on 5th December 2011, fittingly on the day that Corinthians won their fifth national championship. Before kick-off in that title-winning match against Palmeiras, the Corinthians squad and supporters payed homage to Sócrates in a minute's silence, recreating the Doctor's famous goal celebration, a single raised fist.

Today, on the anniversary of his birth, Corinthians pay tribute and homage to the memory of Doctor Sócrates. He will remain in our hearts forever.

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Categoria(s): Futsal