Aldair

Aldair
Personal information
Full name Aldair Nascimento dos Santos
Date of birth (1965-11-30) November 30, 1965
Place of birth Ilhéus, Brazil
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position 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.

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

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 eleven 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 most important title in Brazil, the Campeonato Brasileiro. 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. He subsequently moved to A.S. Roma in 1990, and remained with the club until 2003, playing nearly 400 Serie A matches with the team, and later serving as captain; during his time in Rome, he won the Coppa Italia in 1991, also reaching the UEFA Cup Final that season, and in 2001, he won a Serie A title and the Supercoppa Italiana. Roma retired his number 6 jersey number when he left the team in 2003; this retirement was not permanent, however, as the shirt number has also been worn by Kevin Strootman, who joined the squad in 2013.

After Roma, Aldair then briefly joined Genoa CFC. On 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 S.S. 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.[4]

Style of play

An elegant and tactically versatile defender, Aldair was capable of playing both as a sweeper, and as a centre back, due to his vision, technical ability, and his passing range. His confidence on the ball and, in particular, his adeptness at long balls enabled him advance into midfield and create chances for team-mates. Although he was not particularly quick, he was a strong defender, who excelled in the air, and 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 for being a correct player throughout his career.[5][6][7]

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
1989–90BenficaPortuguese 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 --
Country Brazil 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[8]
Benfica[8]
Roma[8]
Murata[9]

International

Brazil[8][9]

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 Aldair at National-Football-Teams.com
  2. ↑ "Aldair Nascimentos dos Santos - International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  3. 1 2 "A.S. Roma Hall of Fame". A.S. Roma. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  4. ↑ "Aldair's profile on sambafoot.com". Sambafoot. July 4, 2007. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
  5. ↑ Darwin Pastorin. "ALDAIR, Nascimento Dos Santos" (in Italian). Enciclopedia dello Sport Treccani. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Corrado Zunino (20 August 1998). "La rabbia di Capello" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Franco Melli (26 November 1992). "le paure della Roma passano con Aldair" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Aldair". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Aldair". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  10. ↑ Tabeira, Martín (2 May 2013). "Copa América 1989". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  11. ↑ FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info
  12. ↑ "Golden Foot Legends". goldenfoot.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
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