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| Tuesday, September 17, 2002 19:55 EST |
Former Flamengo star helped Brazil win 1958 World Cup
[Reuters]
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Former Brazil forward
Dida, who was in the squad which won the country's first World
Cup title in 1958, died on Tuesday at the age of 68.
Dida, whose full name was Edvaldo Alves de Santa Rosa, had
been in a Rio de Janeiro hospital for the last week with
complications arising from cancer, hospital sources said.
Dida scored more than 500 goals for Flamengo, Brazil's most
popular club, where he was an idol during the 1950s and an
inspiration for later players such as Zico.
He won the Carioca championship in 1954 and 1955 -- at the
time the most important domestic tournament in Brazil -- and was
topscorer in the competition three times.
Dida played for Brazil in its opening 1958 World Cup
match, a 3-0 win over Austria, before making way for Vava. He
made a total of six appearances for his country, scoring four
goals.
After ending his playing career, he stayed at Flamengo,
working for 20 years with the club's youth teams and helping
unearth new talent.
In his later years, he kept a low profile and avoided giving
interviews.
"This is a great loss not just for Flamengo, but for
Brazilian football," said current Flamengo coach Evaristo
Macedo, who played alongside Dida when he made his debut for the
club in 1954.
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