Carlos Alberto "Capita" Torres (17 July 1944 – 25 October 2016), also known as "O Capitão do Tri", was a Brazilian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and manager who played as an attacking right-sided full-back or wing-back. A technically gifted defender with good ball skills and defensive capabilities, he is widely regarded as one of the best defenders of all time. He also stood out for his leadership, and was an excellent penalty taker. Nicknamed ''O Capitão'', he captained the Brazil national team to victory in the 1970 World Cup, scoring the fourth goal in the final, considered one of the greatest goals in the history of the tournament. Carlos Alberto was a member of the

World Team of the 20th Century The World Team of the 20th Century or MasterCard 20th Century team (as it was sponsored by MasterCard) was chosen in 1998 to honour the best association football players of the 20th century CE. The team was consisted of an eleven-member side, wi ...

, and in 2004 was named by

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

in the

FIFA 100 The FIFA 100 is a list compiled by Brazilian professional footballer Pelé featuring his choices of the "greatest living footballers" at the time of its release. The list was unveiled on 4 March 2004 during a gala ceremony at the Natural Histor ...

list of the world's greatest living players. He was an inductee to the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame, and was a member of the U.S.

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and currently located in Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, T ...

. In January 2013, Carlos Alberto was named one of the six Ambassadors of

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

in Brazil, others being Ronaldo,

Bebeto José Roberto Gama de Oliveira (born 16 February 1964), known as Bebeto (), is a Brazilian former professional football player who played as a forward. He entered politics in the 2010 Brazilian general elections and was elected to the Legis ...

, Mário Zagallo, Amarildo and Marta.

Personal life

Carlos Alberto was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

in 1944. He had a twin brother, Carlos Roberto, who died one month before him in 2016. His son is fellow player Carlos Alexandre Torres and his daughter Andrea Torres.

Club career

Brazil

Carlos Alberto joined Fluminense at the age of 19. He made a name for himself in his first season, not only because of his great

tackling Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking up ...

and reading of the game, but also for his outstanding ball control,

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. As ...

and playmaking abilities, which were quite rare at the time for a defender. In 1966, he moved to Santos, where he became

's teammate. In 1974, he returned to Fluminense and helped the team capture two consecutive

Campeonato Carioca The Campeonato Carioca (Carioca Championship), officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro State Championship), also commonly known as the Cariocão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Br ...

championships. In 1977, he moved to Fluminense's arch-rivals

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...

NASL

In 1977, despite his success in Brazil, Carlos Alberto Torres decided to move to the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Indepen ...

. He arrived on the day of the New York City blackout where he was reunited with his friend and partner Pelé and helped the Cosmos capture two consecutive NASL titles in 1977 and 1978. After spending one year with the

California Surf The California Surf was an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1981. The team was based in Anaheim, California and played their home games at Anaheim Convention Center and the Long Beach ...

, he returned to the Cosmos in 1982 where he won his third NASL title. He played his farewell game on 28 September 1982 in an exhibition match between the Cosmos and his former club

. In 119 regular season games and 26 playoff games, Carlos scored a total of 8 goals and was an NASL All-Star five times.

International career

From 1964 to 1977, Carlos Alberto was capped 53 times and scored 8 goals. He was included in the 44-man training squad for the

1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 to 30 July 1966. England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the 1966 FI ...

but did not make the final 22. As it turned out, Brazil were knocked out at the Group stage in England, and when

João Saldanha João Alves Jobin Saldanha (3 July 1917 – 12 July 1990) was a Brazilian journalism, journalist and association football, football manager. He coached the Brazil national football team during the South American Qualifying to the 1970 FIFA W ...

was tasked with restoring pride and passion to the ''seleção'', he recognised the leadership ability that Carlos Alberto was consistently demonstrating at Santos, and made him national captain. Thus, Carlos Alberto is remembered holding aloft the Jules Rimet trophy after Brazil secured the cup for good after an impressive victory over Italy in the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final in Mexico City. That squad also included

Clodoaldo Clodoaldo Tavares de Santana, better known as Clodoaldo (; born 25 September 1949), is a Brazilian people, Brazilian former Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder, defensive midfielder. Club career Clodoaldo spent most of ...

, Gérson, Jairzinho, Rivellino, Tostão and

. Carlos Alberto's goal against Italy in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

is considered one of the best goals ever scored in the tournament. In 2002 the UK public voted the goal No. 36 in the list of the

100 Greatest Sporting Moments ''100 Greatest'' is a long-running television strand on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom that originated in 1999 in Tyne Tees Television’s Factual Features department under executive producer Mark Robinson, but the format has more recently has ...

. 1970 would prove to be the only time he would play at that level. He was unable to participate in the

1974 World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the 10th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the ...

due to a persistent knee injury. When he eventually regained match fitness, his speed had been compromised. However, his ability to read the game compensated for his loss of pace and when he moved to centre back, he found the form to warrant a recall to the national team. In 1977, he was selected by Claudio Coutinho to captain the national team for the first three qualifiers for the 1978 World Cup. He acquitted himself well despite those being the first competitive internationals he had played for almost seven years. He was approaching 33 years of age and retired from international football, immediately prior to joining New York Cosmos in the NASL. Today he is widely considered one of the finest Brazilian men's footballers of all time.

Coaching career

His career as a football manager started in 1983, when he managed Flamengo. He also managed several other clubs, like

Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians () is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in C ...

in 1985 and 1986; Náutico in 1986, 1987 and 1988;

Once Caldas Once Caldas S.A., simply known as Once Caldas, is a professional Colombian Association football, football team based in Manizales, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. The club plays its home games at Estadio Palogrande. The club wa ...

on 1989, 1990;

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

in 1991, 1992;

Club Tijuana Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, simply known as Tijuana or Xolos, is a Mexican professional Association football, football club based in Tijuana, Baja California, that competes in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. The club ...

in 1992; Fluminense in 1994 and 1995;

Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...

in 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003; Querétaro F.C. in 1999; Unión Magdalena in 2000, 2001; and Paysandu in 2005. He was also an assistant manager for national teams such as the

Nigeria national football team The Nigeria national football team represents Nigeria in Men's international Association football, football. Governed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), they are three-time Africa Cup of Nations (Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON) winners, w ...

and the

Oman national football team The Oman national football team () represents Oman in men's international association football, football and is controlled by the Oman Football Association. History World Cup and Asian Cup The Oman national football team has made notable effort ...

. On 14 February 2004, he was appointed manager of the

Azerbaijan national football team The Azerbaijan national football team () is the national association football, football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan. It represents Azerbaijan in international football competitions. ...

. He resigned on 4 June 2005 after losing a match against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, during which he assaulted the technical referee and ran on the pitch suggesting the referee was bribed.

Death

Carlos Alberto died in Rio de Janeiro on 25 October 2016 due to a sudden

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. He was a sports commentator at a Brazilian channel

SporTV SporTV is a Brazilian pay television sports network owned by Canais Globo, part of Grupo Globo, launched in 1991. It is the most watched sports network in Brazil. On 18 January 2013, were launched High-definition simulcasts of SporTV and ...

, having appeared live on studio only two days before his death, which occurred exactly one month after his twin died.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

As a player

Fluminense *

: 1964, 1975, 1976 *

Taça Guanabara The Taça Guanabara ( English: Guanabara Cup) is an annual football tournament attached to the Campeonato Carioca, the state football league in the Rio de Janeiro state. It has been organized since 1965 by the Rio de Janeiro State Football Fe ...

: 1966 Santos * Recopa Sul-Americana: 1968 * Campeoanato Brasileiro: 1968 * Torneio Rio–São Paulo: 1966 * Paulista Championship: 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973 New York Cosmos *NASL

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League (NASL), which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's ...

Championships: 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982 Brazil *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

Individual * FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1970 *

World XI The World XI, also known as the FIFA World Stars, is an association football scratch team consisting of players from various countries. The World XI play one-off games against clubs, national teams, collectives of continental teams. The official ...

: 1971 *

: 1998 *

: 2003 *

: 2004 *The Best of The Best – Player of the Century: Top 50 * Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame * Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020 * IFFHS All-time Men's B Dream Team: 2021

As a Manager

; Flamengo * Campeonato Brasileiro:

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

; Fluminense *

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

; Botafogo *

Copa CONMEBOL The Copa CONMEBOL () was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football contest, similar to the ...

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

Notes

External links

, colspan="3" style="text-align:center;", World Cup-winners status , - , style="width:28%; text-align:center;", Preceded by

Bobby Moore Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English professional footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA ...

1941 , style="width:44%; text-align:center;", Latest Born Captain to Die
1944
25 October 2016 – 25 November 2020 , style="width:28%; text-align:center;", Succeeded by

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

1960 * *
nasljerseys.com NASL statistics for Carlos Alberto Torres at nasljersey.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Carlos Alberto 1944 births 2016 deaths 1970 FIFA World Cup players FIFA World Cup–winning players Brazil men's international footballers Brazilian expatriate men's footballers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Brazilian football managers Brazilian men's footballers FIFA 100 Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football wingers National Soccer Hall of Fame members North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A managers Fluminense FC players Santos FC players CR Flamengo footballers São Paulo state football team players New York Cosmos (1970–1985) players California Surf players CR Flamengo managers Sport Club Corinthians Paulista managers Once Caldas managers C.F. Monterrey managers Club Tijuana managers Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas managers Fluminense FC managers Clube Atlético Mineiro managers Querétaro F.C. managers Unión Magdalena managers Oman national football team managers Paysandu Sport Club managers Azerbaijan national football team managers Expatriate football managers in Azerbaijan Association football commentators Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Azerbaijan Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Oman Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Colombia Expatriate football managers in Colombia Expatriate football managers in Oman Expatriate football managers in Mexico Footballers from Rio de Janeiro (city) Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for Brazil Pan American Games gold medalists in football Footballers at the 1963 Pan American Games 20th-century Brazilian sportsmen Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro councillors Brazilian sportsperson-politicians