Remember the first world champions for Santos who have already said goodbye

Considered one of the biggest idols of Santos, the former right winger Dorval, 86, died this Sunday (26) as a result of heart failure. He was two-time Libertadores and world champion by the Vila Belmiro club and is regarded as one of the best players in Brazilian football in his position.

At Santos, Dorval formed a magical attack alongside Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe. The quintet was decisive for the club to win its first world title by defeating Benfica, from Portugal, in 1962, and also to win the bi-championship over Milan, from Italy, the following year. Coutinho died in 2019, aged 75, from a heart attack.

Against Benfica, Santos went to the field in the match played in Lisbon, Portugal, with Gylmar, Olavo, Mauro, Calvet and Dalmo, Zito, Lima, Dorval, Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe. The coach was Luis Alonso Pérez, Lula.

Remember the career of the Santos idols who faced the Portuguese in the decisive match of the first World Cup in Alvinegro and who, like Dorval, have also left us.

Gylmar dos Santos Neves

Popularly known as “Giraffe”​, he is considered one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of Santos. In the Vila Belmiro team, he was two-time Libertadores and world champion, five times Brazilian champion, five times São Paulo champion, among other achievements. Before, he played for Corinthians.

He also played a prominent role in the Brazilian team and went to the 1958 (Sweden), 1962 (Chile) and 1966 (England) World Cups. In the first two, he helped Brazil win the cup. He died in 2013, aged 83, victim of a stroke (cerebrovascular accident).

Mauro Ramos de Oliveira

Defender, won 17 official titles for Santos from 1960 to 1967. Before, he played for São Paulo. She was nicknamed Martha Rocha, who was Miss Brazil in 1954, for dressing well off the field and for being very polite.

He was champion of the 1958 and 1962 World Cup for the Brazilian team – in Chile, he was captain and raised the Jules Rimet cup. After hanging up his boots, he coached Santos from 1971 to 1972. He died in 2002, aged 72, from stomach cancer.

Raul Donazar Calvet

He formed a team with Mauro Ramos and is also considered one of the best defenders in Santos history. Before, he played for Grêmio.

At the 1962 World Cup, in Chile, he was passed over by coach Aymoré Moreira, who claimed that the squad already had many players from the Vila Belmiro club. He had to retire from the lawn at age 30 after tearing his Achilles tendon. He died in 2008, aged 73, from esophageal cancer.

Dalmo Gaspar

He was the starting left-back for the two-time world title of Santos, in 1962 and 1963. Decisive, he scored the goal of Santos’ victory by 1-0, with a penalty, over Milan, in the conquest of the second world title in Santos. He died in 2015, aged 82, from a bacterial blood infection.

José Ely de Miranda, or Zito

He was the captain of Santos in the match against Benfica, which ended with the club’s first world title. He was the leader of the team on the field and received the nickname “manager”. He played 733 games with the Santos shirt, being the third athlete who played the most for the club.

For the Brazilian team, he helped in the conquests of the 1958 and 1962 World Cups. After his retirement, he worked in the youth teams at Santos, where athletes like Robinho, Diego and Neymar were revealed. He died in 2015, aged 82, after a stroke (cerebrovascular accident).

Coutinho

One of the greatest idols in the history of Santos, he was the center forward of the famous attack formed by Dorval, Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pelé and Pepe. He knew how to position himself as few in the area and was cold in his conclusions. He is the third highest scorer in the club’s history, with 368 goals in 457 games, behind only Pepe (403 goals) and Pelé (1,091 goals).

For the Brazilian team, Coutinho did not have the same success he had playing for Santos. He only played 15 games with the yellow shirt, scoring six goals. He was supposed to start at the 1962 World Cup, but got injured and lost his place to Vavá, champion of the 1958 World Cup. Even so, he was among the 22 players who won that World Cup, but did not take the field.​

Died in 2019, at age 75, after suffering a myocardial infarction due to diabetes, systemic arterial hypertension and vascular problems.

Luis Alonso Pérez, or Lula

He was Santos coach from 1954 to 1966 and is the club’s most successful coach. Among his achievements are the two-time Libertadores and world champions, in 1962 and 1963. He was responsible for launching and training several Santos idols, such as Pagão, Pepe, Coutinho and Pelé. Afterwards, he coached Corinthians in 1968, but failed to win titles. He died in 1972, aged 50, after complications from a kidney transplant.