Manoel Nunes (March 7, 1895 – May 31, 1977), also known as Neco, was an association football

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

and striker. With great skill and tenacity, he was the first idol of

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 ...

, being the first player to get a statue in the team's gardens (in 1929). As of 2006, Neco is the player who played the longest for Corinthians: 17 years. Called often to the Brazil national team, he won two

South American Championships A South American Championship is a top level international sports competition between South American athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of South American championships * Basketball ...

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

(team's top scorer) and

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

(top scorer). Playing for Corinthians, he won the Paulista League eight times as a player (being top scorer in 1914 and 1920) and once as a coach (1937). Neco had a quick temper and frequently got involved in fights; his second stint as a manager occurred because he was suspended as a player for 18 games when he beat a referee. He started in the third team of Corinthians at the age of 16 and joined the first team in 1913 (the first year Corinthians participated in official competitions). In 1915, Corinthians did not play official games because of political issues and almost went bankrupt; this year, Neco played friendlies for Corinthians and the official games for Mackenzie. During this time, he broke into the Corinthians building to retrieve books that the landlord had locked inside due to non-payment of the rent. After scoring two goals playing for Brazil against Uruguay in the 2x2 tie valid for the 1919 South American Championship in Rio de Janeiro, Neco returned to his regular job as a carpenter in São Paulo and was fired for missing work.

Statistical career overview

Player

Teams: * 1917–1922:

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

(14 matches / 9 goals / official internationals only) * 1913–1914:

SC Corinthians Paulista Sport Club Corinthians Paulista () is a Brazilian professional sports club based in São Paulo, in the district of Tatuapé. Although it competes in multiple sports modalities, it is best known for its professional men's Association football, f ...

* 1915: AA Mackenzie College * 1916–1930:

Honours: *

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...

: 1914, 1916, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1930 Top Scorer: *

(4 goals) *

: 1914 (12 goals) *

: 1920 (24 goals)

Coach

Clubs: *

: 1920, 1927, 1937–38 Honours: *

: 1937

External links

Profile at cbf.com.br
{{Authority control 1895 births 1977 deaths Footballers from São Paulo Brazilian men's footballers Brazil men's international footballers Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players Men's association football midfielders Brazilian football managers Sport Club Corinthians Paulista managers Copa América–winning players Men's association football forwards São Paulo state football team players 20th-century Brazilian sportsmen