Socrates played football with a headband, a beard and a medical degree. He qualified as a doctor while playing professionally, was a political activist on the side, and still found time to become one of the coolest men Brazilian football has produced. He looked like a rock star and passed like an artist.
Captain of the 1982 side
He led the Brazil team of 1982, widely regarded as the best side never to win the World Cup. They played some of the most beautiful football anyone has seen and still went home without the trophy.
Away from the national team:
- At Corinthians he led the 'Corinthians Democracy' movement, in which the players voted on every decision at the club
- His back-heels and no-look passes were decades ahead of their time
- He scored regularly from midfield for Brazil and Corinthians, a goal threat few midfielders could match
Socrates was football's intellectual, a doctor and a democrat with a rare touch on the ball. Some players outgrow the sport they play. He was one of them, and the game is still talking about him.
The countdown continues tomorrow at number 14.
