Toninho Cerezo, real name Antônio Carlos Cerezo, (born 21 April 1955 in Belo Horizonte) is a former football player from Brazil. Well known for his tireless style of play and tactical awareness, Cerezo is commonly regarded as one of the finest Brazilian defensive midfielders.[1]
Career
He played as a defensive midfielder with Atlético Mineiro, A.S. Roma, Sampdoria, São Paulo Futebol Clube and the Brazilian national team.
He won the Brazilian Golden Ball trophy in 1977 and again in 1980 and the Brazilian Silver Ball trophy in 1976.
Cerezo won five times the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup). In 1991 he won both the Italian Serie A championship and the Coppa Italia with U.C. Sampdoria.[2]
With São Paulo FC he was the two-times winner of the Intercontinental Cup and Copa Libertadores.
Cerezo was the best player of the Intercontinental Cup final in 1993.[3]
In 1998, he retired as a player, and, after doing some studies and probations in Italy, he returned to Brazil, and start a career as a manager at Vitória, reaching the semifinals of the Brazilian Série A. He also led Japanese powerhouse Kashima Antlers in J. League for six years. He won five major titles in Japan, two league championships, one Emperor's Cup and two league cups.
After that, he coached Atlético Mineiro, Guarani, and some Asian clubs such like Al-Hilal, Al-Shabab, Al Ain and returned to Brazil to led Sport, leaving just one month later.
National team
Cerezo won 57 caps (full international games), between March 1977 and June 1985, with the Brazilian national team, scoring seven goals.
He played the FIFA World Cup 1978 and FIFA World Cup 1982. He was also due to go to the 1986 tournament, but a hamstring injury in May ruled him out.
At FIFA World Cup 1982 his back pass was intercepted by Paolo Rossi who went on to score in a 2–3 loss to Italy which saw a hat trick for Rossi and Brazil knocked out of the tournament in a dramatic upset. For many years after the event, he was widely criticized for this awful pass by many Brazilians.
Honours as a player
- Nacional
- Atlético Mineiro
- Roma
- Sampdoria
- São Paulo
Honours as a manager
- Kashima Antlers
- Al-Shabab
- UAE Football League: 2008
Career statistics
| Brazil national team |
|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|
| 1977 | 11 | 2 |
| 1978 | 11 | 0 |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980 | 6 | 1 |
| 1981 | 13 | 2 |
| 1982 | 9 | 0 |
| 1983 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 57 | 5 |
Personal life
Cerezo is the father of one daughter, fashion model and Givenchy muse Lea T.
References
- Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 1 – Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
External links
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1 Placar started to give this prize to the best grade holder at Bola de Prata since 1973. In its 2013 ceremonies, a Bola de Ouro was given to Dirceu Lopes, holder of the best 1971 grade. Francisco Reyes and Elías Figueroa, holders of 1970 and 1972 ones respectively, have not been announced as these years' winners yet. |
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Atlético Mineiro – managers |
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| Persondata |
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| Name |
Cerezo, Toninho |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
Brazilian footballer and manager |
| Date of birth |
1955-04-21 |
| Place of birth |
Belo Horizonte, Brazil |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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