Ademir de Menezes
{{short description|Brazilian footballer (1922-1996)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Portuguese name|Marques|de Menezes}}
{{Weasel|date=March 2009}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ademir de Menezes
| image = Ademir de Menezes.jpg
| caption = Ademir in 1947
| fullname = Ademir Marques de Menezes
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1922|11|8}}
| birth_place = Recife, Brazil
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1996|5|11|1922|11|8}}
| death_place = Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| height = 1.76 m
| position = Striker
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Sport Recife
| years1 = 1939–1942
| clubs1 = Sport Recife
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| years2 = 1942–1945
| clubs2 = Vasco da Gama
| caps2 =
| goals2 =
| years3 = 1946–1947
| clubs3 = Fluminense
| caps3 =
| goals3 =
| years4 = 1948–1956
| clubs4 = Vasco da Gama
| caps4 =
| goals4 =
| years5 = 1957
| clubs5 = Sport Recife
| caps5 =
| goals5 =
| totalcaps =
| totalgoals =
| nationalyears1 = 1945–1953
| nationalteam1 = Brazil
| nationalcaps1 = 39
| nationalgoals1 = 32
| manageryears1 = 1967
| managerclubs1 = Vasco da Gama
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's Football}}
{{MedalCountry|{{fb|BRA|1889}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIFA World Cup}}
{{Medal|RU|1950 Brazil|}}
{{MedalCompetition|South American Championship}}
{{Medal|W|1949 Brazil|}}
{{Medal|RU|1945 Chile|}}
{{Medal|RU|1946 Argentina|}}
{{Medal|RU|1953 Peru|}}
{{MedalCompetition|Panamerican Championship}}
{{Medal|W|1952 Chile|}}
}}
Ademir Marques de Menezes ({{IPA|pt|adeˈmiʁ}}; 8 November 1922 – 11 May 1996) was a Brazilian footballer, regarded as one of the best forwards in the country's history.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6494653.stm|author=Tim Vickery|title=Tim Vickery column|publisher=BBC |access-date=26 March 2007 | date=26 March 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070330120225/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6494653.stm| archive-date= 30 March 2007 | url-status= live}} His prominent underbite earned him the nickname {{lang|pt|Queixada}} (The Jaw). He was also the top goalscorer of the 1950 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Ademir began his club career with Sport Recife before moving to Vasco da Gama. He played for Vasco for two spells, 1942–1945 and 1948–56, broken by a spell at Fluminense. In total, Ademir won two Pernambuco State League Championships (1941, 1942) and five Rio State League championships (1945, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1956). He won another with Fluminense (1946). He was the league's top scorer in 1949 with 30 goals and again in 1950 with 25 goals. Ademir finally retired from playing in 1956, going on to work as a commentator, coach and businessman.
International career
Ademir is best known for his exploits in the 1950 World Cup held in his native Brazil. Playing in an outstanding forward trio involving Zizinho and Jair he won the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the competition with 9 goals, and he also helped the team with 6 assists in the tournament. He was the scorer of the first competitive goal at the Maracanã stadium.{{cite web|url=http://www.sambafoot.com/en/articles/30_Maracana_the_largest_stadium_of_the_world_page_1.html|title=Maracanã, the largest stadium of the world|date=28 November 2005 |publisher=Sambafoot.com|access-date=23 March 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070321055227/http://www.sambafoot.com/en/articles/30_Maracana_the_largest_stadium_of_the_world_page_1.html| archive-date= 21 March 2007 | url-status= live}} Despite this feat, he could not bring victory to Brazil in the decisive match against Uruguay – a national tragedy which was later dubbed the Maracanazo.
Ademir also enjoyed success in the Copa América. He played in the 1945, 1946, 1949, and 1953 editions of the tournament, with 13 goals and 3 assists in 18 appearances in the competition, including a tournament-winning hat-trick in the final play-off against Paraguay in 1949. He also won the Panamerican Championship with Brazil in 1952 scoring two goals on the title match against Chile. In total, Ademir played 39 times for his country, scoring 32 goals (according to RSSSF) between 1945 and 1953.
Style of play
A fast and powerful striker, with a strong shot in both feet, Ademir began his career as a left winger before moving to the centre, causing havoc in opposing defences with his skill and sublime finishing. People at the time considered him an unequalled ball juggler who knew every trick in the book. He used to wreak havoc among defences with his quick changes in tempo, fooling his opponents with deceptions carried out almost at lightning speed, his mastering of the ball in all situations and the ability to accelerate rapidly.
Career statistics
=International=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan=3 | Brazil national team | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 9 | 7 |
| 1946 | 6 | 1 |
| 1947 | 2 | 0 |
| 1948 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949 | 5 | 7 |
| 1950 | 9 | 14 |
| 1951 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952 | 5 | 2 |
| 1953 | 3 | 1 |
| Total||39|| 32 |
International goals
| class="wikitable" | ||||||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 28 January 1945 | rowspan=5| Santiago, Chile | {{fb|BOL}} | align=center|1–0 | align=center| 2–0 | rowspan=5| 1945 South American Championship |
| 2. | 15 February 1945 | {{fb|ARG}} | align=center|1–2 | align=center| 1–3 | ||
| 3. | rowspan=3| 21 February 1945 | rowspan=3| {{fb|ECU}} | align=center|1–0 | rowspan=3 align=center| 9–2 | ||
| 4. | align=center|2–0 | |||||
| 5. | align=center|9–2 | |||||
| 6. | rowspan=2| 20 December 1945 | rowspan=2| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | rowspan=2| {{fb|ARG}} | align=center|?–? | rowspan=2 align=center| 6–2 | rowspan=2| 1945 Copa Roca |
| 7. | align=center|?–? | |||||
| 8. | 9 January 1946 | Montevideo, Uruguay | {{fb|URU}} | align=center|1–? | align=center| 1–1 | 1946 Copa Río Branco |
| 9. | 3 April 1949 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | {{fb|ECU}} | align=center|9–1 | align=center| 9–1 | rowspan=7| 1949 South American Championship |
| 10. | rowspan=2| 17 April 1949 | rowspan=2| São Paulo, Brazil | rowspan=2| {{fb|COL}} | align=center|4–0 | rowspan=2 align=center| 5–0 | |
| 11. | align=center|5–0 | |||||
| 12. | 24 April 1949 | rowspan=4| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | {{fb|PER}} | align=center|6–1 | align=center| 7–1 | |
| 13. | rowspan=3| 11 May 1949 | rowspan=3| {{fb|PAR}} | align=center|1–0 | rowspan=3 align=center| 7–0 | ||
| 14. | align=center|2–0 | |||||
| 15. | align=center|4–0 | |||||
| 16. | rowspan=2| 6 May 1950 | rowspan=2| São Paulo, Brazil | rowspan=2| {{fb|URU}} | align=center|?–? | rowspan=2 align=center| 3–4 | rowspan=4| 1950 Copa Río Branco |
| 17. | align=center|?–? | |||||
| 18. | 14 May 1950 | rowspan=11| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | {{fb|URU}} | align=center|?–? | align=center| 3–2 | |
| 19. | 18 May 1950 | {{fb|URU}} | align=center|1–0 | align=center| 1–0 | ||
| 20. | rowspan=2| 24 June 1950 | rowspan=2| {{fb|MEX}} | align=center|1–0 | rowspan=2 align=center| 4–0 | rowspan=9| 1950 FIFA World Cup | |
| 21. | align=center|4–0 | |||||
| 22. | 1 July 1950 | {{fb|YUG}} | align=center|1–0 | align=center| 2–0 | ||
| 23. | rowspan=4| 9 July 1950 | rowspan=4| {{fb|SWE}} | align=center|1–0 | rowspan=4 align=center| 7–1 | ||
| 24. | align=center|2–0 | |||||
| 25. | align=center|4–0 | |||||
| 26. | align=center|5–0 | |||||
| 27. | rowspan=2| 13 July 1950 | rowspan=2| {{fb|ESP}} | align=center|1–0 | rowspan=2 align=center| 6–1 | ||
| 28. | align=center|5–0 | |||||
| 30. | rowspan=2| 20 April 1952 | rowspan=2| Santiago, Chile | rowspan=2| {{fb|CHI}} | align=center|1–0 | rowspan=2 align=center| 3–0 | rowspan=2| 1952 Panamerican Championship |
| 31. | align=center|2–0 | |||||
| 32. | 12 March 1953 | Lima, Peru | {{fb|ECU}} | align=center|1–0 | align=center| 2–0 | 1953 South American Championship |
Honours
Sport Recife
- Campeonato Pernambucano: 1941, 1942
Vasco da Gama
- Campeonato Carioca: 1945, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1956
- South American Championship of Champions: 1948
- Torneio Octogonal Rivadavia Correa Meyer: 1953
Fluminense
- Campeonato Carioca: 1946
Rio de Janeiro State Team
- Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais: 1943, 1944
Brazil
- South American Championship: 1949
- Panamerican Championship: 1952
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1950
- South American Championship runner-up: 1945, 1946, 1953
Individual
- Copa América Best Player: 1949
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1950
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1950
- IFFHS Brazilian Player of the 20th Century (18th place)[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html IFFHS' Century Elections]
- IFFHS South American Player of the 20th Century (44th place)
- Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
References
{{Portal|Association football|Brazil}}
{{reflist}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list =
{{1950 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament}}
{{FIFA World Cup Golden Boot}}
{{Copa America MVP}}
{{Torneio Rio – São Paulo top scorers}}
{{Campeonato Carioca top scorers}}
{{Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Brazil squads
| bg = #FEDF00
| fg = #009B3A
| bordercolor = #002776
| list =
{{Brazil squad 1945 South American Championship}}
{{Brazil squad 1946 South American Championship}}
{{Brazil squad 1949 South American Championship}}
{{Brazil squad 1950 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Brazil squad 1953 South American Championship}}
}}
{{Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menezes, Ademir de}}
Category:Footballers from Recife
Category:Brazilian men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Fluminense FC players
Category:CR Vasco da Gama players
Category:Sport Club do Recife players
Category:Brazil men's international footballers
Category:1949 South American Championship players
Category:1950 FIFA World Cup players