Tostão

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Gonçalves and the second or paternal family name is de Andrade.
Tostão
Tostão in 1970
Personal information
Full name Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade
Date of birth (1947-01-25) 25 January 1947 (age 77)
Place of birth Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Forward / Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1961 Cruzeiro
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1963 América Mineiro 26 (16)
1963–1972 Cruzeiro 378 (249)
1972–1973 Vasco da Gama 45 (6)
Total 449 (271)
International career
1966–1972[1] Brazil 54 (32)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Brazil
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1970 Mexico
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade (born 25 January 1947), generally known as Tostão, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward or attacking midfielder.

Tostão was an intelligent, hardworking and prolific left-footed forward, who was known for his creativity and technical skills, and was considered one of the best players in the world in his prime and arguably the best player in the world in the early 70s alongside Cruyff before health problems forced his early retirement. Tostão was widely considered at the time the second best or even the best Brazilian player in the late 60s alongside Pelé, even ahead of other stars that would be part of the legendary 1970 Brazil squad.[2] He played most of his 11-year career with Cruzeiro.

Tostão represented Brazil in two World Cups, winning the tournament in 1970. He formed a lethal offensive partnership with Pelé in the national team.

Football career

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Born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Eduardo Andrade received, like the vast majority of Brazilian footballers, a nickname early into his football career, being dubbed 'Tostão' (little coin). Legend has it that as a six-year-old school boy he netted 47 goals in one game for his primary school football team.

Tostão made his professional debut aged only 15, for local América Mineiro, returning after two years to Cruzeiro, where he had started his youth career. Although being a centre midfielder, he was crowned the Campeonato Mineiro's topscorer on three consecutive occasions, the first in 1966, and left the club as its all-time scorer, with a total of 249 goals.[3]

In the 1970 FIFA World Cup, improvised as a forward, Tostão scored two of his 32 goals for Brazil, and assisted four, as the national team won its third trophy, whilst finding the net on 19 occasions. The previous year, after being hit in the face by a ball during a match against Corinthians, he suffered a detached retina from which he never fully recovered. In April 1972, he signed for Vasco da Gama for a then record fee in the country but, after good overall displays, was forced to retire from the game at only 27, after his sight problems resurfaced, despite attempts at corrective surgery.

Weary of football and fame, Tostão became a medical doctor, but ultimately rejoined the footballing world, working as a journalist and pundit on TV.[4][5]

Style of play

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Tostão was, due to his relatively small stature and slender frame, not particularly skilled in the air; in spite of his lack of pace, strong physical attributes, or long-range shooting abilities, however, he was a mobile, intelligent, and hard-working footballer, who stood out throughout his career due to his anticipation and timing in the penalty area, which made him a prolific goalscorer.[2][6] A predominantly left-footed player, in his prime, he was considered one of the best players in the world, and was known for his technique, balance, and dribbling skills, while also contributing with many assists thanks to his vision, creativity, precise passing and playmaking abilities, as well as his work-rate, which often saw him drop back into midfield in order to retrieve the ball and start attacking plays.[2][7][6] He was also known for his ability to disorient defenders and get onto the end of passes or create space for teammates with his movement and runs off the ball, which saw him act in a role which was essentially functioning as a precursor of the modern false 9 role with Brazil during the 1970 World Cup, despite being deployed as a centre-forward on paper.[8][9] Due to his versatility and wide range of skills, he was capable of playing in several attacking and midfield positions including as an attacking midfielder,[10] as a second striker, as a left winger, or even as an out-and-out striker.[11]

Career statistics

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International goals

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No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1. 5 June 1966 Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil  Poland 2–1 4–1 Friendly [12]
2. 3–1
3. 8 June 1966 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Peru 2–0 3–1 Friendly [12]
4. 30 June 1966 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden  Sweden 1–0 3–2 Friendly [12]
5. 3–1
6. 15 July 1966 Goodison Park, Liverpool, England  Hungary 1–1 1–3 1966 FIFA World Cup [12]
7. 9 June 1968 Pacaembu Stadium, São Paulo, Brazil  Uruguay 1–0 2–0 1968 Copa Río Branco [13]
8. 16 June 1968 Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, West Germany  West Germany 1–2 1–2 Friendly [13]
9. 20 June 1968 10th-Anniversary Stadium, Warsaw, Poland  Poland 3–2 6–3 Friendly [13]
10. 4–2
11. 25 June 1968 JNA Stadion, Belgrade, Yugoslavia  Yugoslavia 2–0 2–0 Friendly [13]
12. 30 June 1968 Estádio da Machava, Lourenço Marques, Mozambique  Portugal 2–0 2–0 Friendly [13]
13. 17 July 1968 Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru  Peru 3–0 4–0 Friendly [13]
14. 6 November 1968 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil FIFA XI 3–0 4–0 Friendly [13][a]
15. 9 April 1969 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Peru 2–1 2–1 Friendly [14]
16. 12 June 1969 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  England 1–1 2–1 Friendly [14]
17. 6 August 1969 Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia  Colombia 1–0 2–0 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification [14]
18. 2–0
19. 10 August 1969 Estadio Olímpico, Caracas, Venezuela  Venezuela 1–0 6–0 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification [14]
20. 3–0
21. 4–0
22. 21 August 1969 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Colombia 1–0 6–2 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification [14]
23. 2–1
24. 24 August 1969 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Venezuela 1–0 6–0 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification [14]
25. 2–0
26. 3–0
27. 14 June 1970 Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico  Peru 2–0 4–2 1970 FIFA World Cup [14]
28. 3–1
29. 30 September 1970 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Mexico 2–0 2–1 Friendly [14]
30. 14 July 1971 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Czechoslovakia 1–0 1–0 Friendly [15]
31. 31 July 1971 Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina  Argentina 1–1 2–2 1971 Roca Cup [15]
32. 26 April 1972 Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil  Paraguay 2–0 3–2 Friendly [15]
  1. ^ This match celebrated the 10th anniversary of Brazil's 1958 FIFA World Cup victory. In 2001, FIFA decided not to count matches involving its representative team as senior internationals, but the Brazilian Federation continues to recognise it as official.[13]

Honours

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Club

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Cruzeiro

International

[edit]
Brazil

Individual

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References

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  1. ^ "Tostão – Goals in International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Tostao the visionary". FIFA. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  3. ^ "The 10 Best Brazilian soccer players of all time". Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  4. ^ Robinho career at crossroads; BBC Sport, 20 December 2004
  5. ^ Controversy on the road to 1,000; BBC Sport, 21 March 2007
  6. ^ a b Godfrey, Mark. "THE UNSPOKEN GENIUS OF TOSTAO". In Bed With Maradona. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Brazil's greatest strikers". Sky Sports. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  8. ^ Duarte, Fernando (5 March 2014). "Brazil's World Cup striker problems laid bare by Diego Costa's Spain debut". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  9. ^ Tsoir, Mark (17 June 2018). "Brazil, 1970 and the most beautiful football in history". thesefootballtimes.co. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  10. ^ Gandolfi, Remo (12 February 2019). "Se Pelé non fosse nato, Tostao sarebbe stato Pelé. E voleva fare il medico..." (in Italian). Calciomercato. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  11. ^ Atkins, Christopher (2 June 2014). "Ranking Brazil's 20 Greatest Strikers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d Leme de Arruda, Marcelo; do Nascimento Pereira, André (15 January 2017). "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 1964–1966". RSSSF and RSSSF Brazil. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h Leme de Arruda, Marcelo; do Nascimento Pereira, André (3 March 2017). "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 1967–1968". RSSSF and RSSSF Brazil. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Leme de Arruda, Marcelo; do Nascimento Pereira, André (3 March 2017). "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 1969–1970". RSSSF and RSSSF Brazil. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  15. ^ a b c Leme de Arruda, Marcelo; do Nascimento Pereira, André (3 March 2017). "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 1971–1973". RSSSF and RSSSF Brazil. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  16. ^ Bola de Prata Placar 1970 Archived 2015-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ a b IFFHS' Century Elections
  18. ^ World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time Retrieved on 28 November 2015
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