Aldair

Aldair Nascimento dos Santos (Brazilian Portuguese: [awdaˈiʁ]; born 30 November 1965), known simply as Aldair, is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a defender, and who was part of the Brazil national team that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Aldair
Aldair in 2005
Personal information
Full name Aldair Nascimento dos Santos
Date of birth (1965-11-30) 30 November 1965
Place of birth Ilhéus, Brazil
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1989 Flamengo 54 (3)
1989–1990 Benfica 22 (5)
1990–2003 Roma 330 (14)
2003–2004 Genoa 17 (1)
2005 Rio Branco A.C. 2 (0)
2007–2010 Murata 10 (0)
Total 433 (23)
National team
1989–2000[2] Brazil 80 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He spent most of his professional career at Italian club A.S. Roma, where he later also served as captain, winning the Serie A title with the club in 2001. He is one of the members to have been inducted into the A.S. Roma Hall of Fame.[3]

Club career

Aldair started playing at Flamengo where he won the State Championship Campeonato Carioca in 1986. He moved to Europe in 1989, playing with Benfica, winning the Portuguese Supercup, and reaching the European Cup Final during his only season with the team.

Aldair subsequently moved to A.S. Roma in 1990 and played with this club during 13 seasons, until 2003. He played a total of 436 matches with the Giallorossi, scoring 20 goals in total.[4] During this period he won the Serie A in 2001, one Supercoppa Italiana, and one Coppa Italia in 1991 (also reaching the UEFA Cup Final in the same year). Aldair was recognised in 2000 as one of the best players in the world by being selected in the FIFA XI; still, he remained loyal to Roma in spite of the club not having won any major international honours during his time there.

Due to his long career with Roma, Aldair is currently the most-capped foreign player in the Italian club's history and the club decided to retire his number 6 jersey when he left the team in 2003. However, this retirement was not permanent, as in 2013 the shirt number 6 has been conceded to Kevin Strootman, with Aldair's approval.[5] In 1998, he was chosen to be the captain of the Giallorossi but preferred to grant the armband to the then 22-years old Francesco Totti.[6] For his contribution to the club, Aldair was included into the A.S. Roma Hall of Fame in 2012, and thus recognized as one of the best footballers in the club's history. He was nicknamed "Pluto" by Roma fans.[7]

After Roma, Aldair then briefly joined Genoa CFC. In July 2005, Aldair announced plans of playing for Rio Branco Atlético Clube, and played two games for the club in the estadual championship, helping his team to win the title.

Former teammate and good friend Massimo Agostini convinced him to play in San Marino for S.S. Murata in order to boost their Champions League campaign. After Murata's dreadful 7–1 aggregate defeat to Cypriots APOEL in the first round of qualifying for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, Agostini decided to call upon Aldair to join him on the Italian Peninsula. Aldair took part in the Champions League qualifying stage in July 2007.

International career

Aldair was part of the Brazilian squad that took part at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. In 1994, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he played for the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Brazil in the 1998 World Cup, as Brazil went on to reach the final once again, only to be defeated by France. He took part in three Copa América's with Brazil, winning the title in 1989 and 1997, whilst earning a runners-up medal in 1995. Aldair won a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and was part of the Brazilian team that won the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup. In addition to these tournaments, Aldair also took part in two friendly tournaments with Brazil, winning the 1995 Umbro Cup, and finishing in second place in the 1997 Tournoi de France. In total, he appeared 81 times for Brazil between 1989 and 2000, scoring three goals.[8]

Style of play

An elegant and tactically versatile defender, Aldair was capable of playing both as a sweeper and centre back, due to his vision, technical ability and passing range. His confidence on the ball and, in particular, his adeptness at long balls enabled him to advance into midfield and create chances for teammates. Although he was not particularly quick, he was a strong defender who excelled in the air. He also excelled at anticipating opponents with well-timed challenges due to his ability to read the game. In addition to his defensive and technical skills, Aldair was also known for his leadership and sportsmanship throughout his career.[9][10][11]

Career statistics

[1]

Club career
Club performance League
Season Club League Apps Goals
Brazil League
1985FlamengoSérie A ––
1986 231
1987 70
1988 242
1989 ––
Portugal League
1989–90BenficaPrimeira Liga 225
Italy League
1990–91RomaSerie A 292
1991–92 333
1992–93 282
1993–94 120
1994–95 281
1995–96 310
1996–97 322
1997–98 283
1998–99 270
1999–00 341
2000–01 150
2001–02 160
2002–03 170
2003–04GenoaSerie B 171
San Marino League
2007–08MurataCampionato
Sammarinese		 100
2008–09 ––
2009–10 ––
CountryBrazil 543
Portugal 225
Italy 34715
San Marino 100
Total 43323

International
Brazil national team
Year Apps Goals
1989 150
1990 31
1991 ––
1992 ––
1993 ––
1994 110
1995 131
1996 10
1997 191
1998 90
1999 30
2000 60
Total803

Honours

Club
Flamengo[12]
Benfica[12]
Roma[12]
Murata[13]

International
Brazil[12][13]

Individual

References
  1. "Aldair". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
  2. "Aldair Nascimentos dos Santos – International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  3. "A.S. Roma Hall of Fame". A.S. Roma. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  4. http://www.asroma.com/it/club/hall-of-fame/aldair%7C%5B%5D
  5. http://www.repubblica.it/ultimora/sport/CALCIO-ROMA-STROOTMAN-AVRA-MAGLIA-N-6-DI-ALDAIR/news-dettaglio/4375640
  6. http://gianlucadimarzio.com/it/aldair-totti-un-leader-silenzioso-scelsi-io-di-dargli-la-fascia-da-capitano
  7. http://www.ultimouomo.com/pluto-aldair-classe-e-lentezza/
  8. "Aldair's profile on sambafoot.com". Sambafoot. 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
  9. Darwin Pastorin. "ALDAIR, Nascimento Dos Santos". Enciclopedia dello Sport Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  10. Corrado Zunino (20 August 1998). "La rabbia di Capello". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  11. Franco Melli (26 November 1992). "le paure della Roma passano con Aldair". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  12. "Aldair". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  13. "Aldair". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  14. Tabeira, Martín (2 May 2013). "Copa América 1989". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  15. "FIFA XI´s Matches – Full Info".
  16. "Golden Foot Legends". goldenfoot.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
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