Garrincha

Biography

Manuel Francisco dos Santos, known as Garrincha, was a Brazilian footballer born on 28 October 1933 and passed away on 20 January 1983. He played primarily as a right winger and forward and is celebrated as one of the greatest dribblers in football history. Garrincha won two FIFA World Cups with the Brazil national team in 1958 and 1962, where he was instrumental in the latter tournament, earning the Golden Ball for best player and the Golden Boot as top scorer. He spent most of his club career at Botafogo, where his legacy is honored with a room named after him in the Maracanã Stadium and the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasília. In 1999, he ranked seventh in the FIFA Player of the Century vote and is recognized as a member of the World Team of the 20th Century and the Brazilian Football Hall of Fame.