Hello, football friends! Today we will talk about the Brazilian Team in the 1982 World Cup. The Brazil 1982 World Cup squad (with stars like Falcão, Zico and Júnior) didn’t win it but goes down in history as one of the best ever. Let’s also check out more about the historical Italy x Brazil game from 1982!
Brazil won it’s forth World Cup title in 1994 with Romário, Bebeto and Taffarel. But it could just as easily have come twelve years earlier, in fact twelve years after their previous world title. Pelé, Jairzinho and other players won the 1970 World Cup will an excellent football performance. The 1982 team was as amazing as the 1970 team, actually many people consider this team the best in history even though they didn’t the World Cup.
With a squad full of great players, this team played incredible football even before the World Cup competition. Always in an offensive and skillful manner, the players were at a great moment of their career and the connection among them was impressive. People considered them the favorite for the Cup, over 50% of the bets were on Brazil. The winner in that year, Italy, didn’t even receive 5%. This difference explains people’s frustration at the end of that tournament.
Futebol Arte was a very common style of play in Brazil during the period of 1982. It was not enough to be skillful and efficient football. It also meant playing creatively and fairly, without fouls, without dishonesty, and with great ethics and fair play. In the context of the intensification of civil society’s struggles for redemocratization at the time, the tendency to relate Brazilian football to the process of building full citizenship gained strength. That is why Futebol Arte was so important at the time!
Brazilian can make anything more artful, this is for sure! If you are a football fan and want to see the Holy Grail of football, come with us to our RioLIVE! where we visit Maracanã stadium! This can be an amazing opportunity to learn Portuguese in Rio while getting to know more about our history with football!
This tournament was also special because it was the first that the coach used players who played out of Brazil. Players such as Zico, Falcão, Sócrates, helped to build this great 1982 Brazil World Cup squad. Let’s see the full squad:
| Goalkeeper | Valdir Perez |
| Right side | Leandro |
| Defender | Oscar |
| Defender | Luisinho |
| Midfield | Toninho Cerezo |
| Left side | Júnior |
| Midfield | Falcão |
| Midfield | Sócrates |
| Forward | Éder Aleixo |
| Midfield | Zico |
| Goalkeeper | Paulo Sérgio |
| Right side | Edevaldo |
| Defender | Juninho |
| Midfield | Paulo Isidoro |
| Left side | Pedrinho |
| Midfield | Batista |
| Midfield | Renato |
| Forward | Serginho Chulapa |
| Forward | Roberto Dinamite |
| Forward | Dirceu |
| Goalkeeper | Carlos |
As we said before, Brazil 82 Team was great. Let’s see a video of it playing the first part of the tournament:
Now, check out a little bit about each player from this special squad!
Zico: A highly skillful attacking midfielder, Zico was the playmaker of the team during the World Cup of 82. He had exceptional vision, passing ability, and goal-scoring prowess. Zico is one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time and a great contribution to the 1982 squad.
Sócrates: An intelligent and elegant midfielder, Sócrates was known for his leadership both on and off the pitch. He was a key figure in Brazil’s midfield, contributing with his vision, passing, and goals.
Falcão: Another influential midfielder, Falcão was known for his incredible ball control, passing accuracy, and tactical awareness. Falcão played a crucial role in linking the defense with the attack during the World Cup of 1982.
Éder: Éder was an important forward in the squad, known for his pace and goal-scoring ability. He scored some crucial goals during the tournament.
Júnior: A left-back, Júnior was known for his attacking prowess and precise crossing. He provided width on the left flank and was a threat going forward.
Cerezo: A central midfielder, Cerezo played a key role in distributing the ball and maintaining possession. His passing and ball-winning abilities were crucial for the team.
Leandro: An attacking right-back, Leandro was important for his skill on the ball and ability to join the attack. He provided width on the right flank.
Juninho: A versatile player who could play in defense or midfield, Júnior provided stability and experience to the team.
The Italy vs. Brazil match in the 1982 FIFA World Cup is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most memorable games in the history of the tournament. The match took place on July 5, 1982, in Barcelona, Spain, during the tournament’s second group stage. Italy and Brazil were two of the strongest teams in the world, and the encounter was highly anticipated. The journey to the result was filled with drama and outstanding football.
Italy took the lead in the fifth minute with a goal from Paolo Rossi, but Brazil responded with Socrates equalizing in the 12th minute. Brazil then took the lead in the 68th minute with a goal from Falcao, showcasing some beautiful attacking football. However, Italy fought back, and in the 74th minute, Rossi scored his second goal to level the score at 2-2.
The game was so intense that at one point Claudio Gentile was marking Zico and ended up pulling him by the shirt. Zico’s shirt was torn, and many called for a penalty for Brazil. But the referee didn’t accept it, and Zico continued playing with his shirt torn!
The match went into extra time, and in the 104th minute, Rossi completed his hat-trick, securing Italy’s 3-2 victory. Rossi’s performance in this match was crucial for Italy, and he went on to win the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer.
The 1982 Italy vs. Brazil match is all about a high level of skill, dramatic goals, and the overall intensity of the competition. Italy eventually advanced to the final, where they faced West Germany and emerged victorious, claiming their third FIFA World Cup title. Check it out!
Brazil couldn’t win that World Cup in 1982, but that team was so good and had so many great players that they are still cherished, like Falcão, Zico and Júnior. And you? Do you remember this team? That’s it, my friends. We learned about the Brazil 1982 World Cup Team. Follow us for more Dicas.
Bye, bye!
Hugs from Rio & Learn!
Click on the links below to see more related Dicas
Rio de Janeiro Football Teams
Football Vocabulary in Portuguese
Sports in Portuguese
1970 World Cup
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4 Responses
I watched this team ,they were brilliant.Its a shame that the great centre foward was i jured for the world cup finals (Careca).He would have take the work lord of Zico ,Looking back i think Brazil would have been un playable. On the other hand italy got better as the tournament went on their key players were, Sierra,Conti ,Zoff and Rossi .
That’s amazing that you watched it, Tony!! But tell me which of the two teams was your favorite. I’m guessing Brazil, right?
My father managed to get tickets for the Russian game and the Italian game . We were on holiday in Spain from England.
I love football and have been very lucky to go to many World Cups and Euro Championship . When Brazil lost to Italy as a 12 year old boy more heart was broken. And to me the 1982 Brazilian side were the greatest of all time. From 1 to 11 with maybe the exception of Serginho the Centre Forward every player ouzed class.
We loved to read your story, and how much you admired this special team! We have Dicas about the World Cups that Brazil won: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002. We think you will like to read them as well!