Football's Pioneers: Didi

Waldyr Pereira, better known as Didi (second from the left, front row, in the above image), was born on 8 October, 1928 in Campos dos Goytacazes in the province of Rio de Janeiro. 

Didi began his career at Madureira in Rio before transferring to Fluminense, where he ruffled feathers by proudly entering through the front door instead of the players’ side entrance, before moving to Botafogo in 1956.

He gained prominence playing for Brazil at the 1954 World Cup and was also the pioneer of the ‘falling leaf’ free-kick, famed for deceiving goalkeepers by swerving the ball in flight before dropping into the goal.

However, it was as the playmaker of Brazil’s 1958 world champions side, alongside fellow Botafogo team-mates Garrincha and Mário Zagallo, that Didi reached his peak, although the midfielder almost missed selection for the tournament in Sweden.

Considered in various quarters to be too old at the age of 30, he nevertheless played every game in the tournament, orchestrating his side’s eventual victory and scoring in the semi-final win over France before being voted Player of the Tournament.

A year later, Didi joined the all-conquering Real Madrid team, helping the club to win the European Cup in 1960. His time in the Spanish capital was not a happy one, though, as the Brazilian played just 19 games due to rumoured friction with Real’s idol, Alfredo di Stéfano.

He reportedly told Didi on arrival: "They say you’ve come to replace me, Well you’re too old and you’re not good enough."

Didi was to prove di Stéfano wrong, though, by helping Brazil to a second consecutive World Cup victory in 1962.

After retiring in 1967, Didi cut his coaching teeth with Sporting Cristal in Peru before leading Peru to the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico, where his team won plaudits for their enterprising and attacking play, before being eliminated 4-2 in the quarter-final by his home country, Brazil. 

He later enjoyed coaching success with River Plate in Argentina, where he was credited with helping to restore the country’s traditional la nuestra passing football after years of antifútbol, before lifting two Turkish league titles with Fenerbahce in the mid-1970s.

In 2000, Didi was honoured for his outstanding international career, during which he amassed 68 caps for Brazil in addition to two World Cup-winners’ medals, by being inducted into the FIFA Hall of Champions. He died a year later at the age of 72.