Didi (footballer)
Brazilian footballer and manager
Died when: 72 years 216 days (871 months)Star Sign: Libra
Waldyr Pereira, also known as Didi (Portuguese pronunciation: [d?i'd?i]; 8 October 1928 – 12 May 2001), was a Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder or as a forward.
He played in three FIFA World Cups (1954, 1958, and 1962), winning the latter two and was awarded the Golden Ball, given to the tournament's best player, for his performance at the 1958 competition.
Considered as an elegant and technical player, Didi was renowned for his range of passing, stamina and technique.He also was a free-kick specialist, being famous for inventing the folha seca (dry leaf) dead ball free kicks, notably used by modern-day players such as Juninho and Cristiano Ronaldo, where the ball would swerve downward unexpectedly at a point resulting in a goal.
During his career, he was part of Fluminense FC between the end of the 1940s to the mid-1950s and one of the main players of the iconic squad of Botafogo FR in the early 1960s with other world champions such as Garrincha, Nilton Santos, Zagallo and Amarildo.
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Brazilian footballer and manager
Brazilian footballer and manager
Brazilian footballer and manager