João Ramos do Nascimento (2 October 1917 – 16 November 1996), nicknamed Dondinho, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a centre forward. He was the father, mentor and trainer of Pelé.[1] During his own playing career, Dondinho played for a number of clubs, including Atlético Mineiro.[2] He became known as "Maleável" due to his ability to score headers.
 Dondinho playing for Atletico Mineiro, c. 1941 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | João Ramos do Nascimento | ||
| Date of birth | 2 October 1917 | ||
| Place of birth | Campos Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil | ||
| Date of death | 16 November 1996 (aged 79) | ||
| Place of death | São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1933–1935 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Yuracan-MG | |||
| Hepacaré | |||
| 1940 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| 1940–1942 | Atlético Três Corações | ||
| 1942–1944 | Fluminense-MG | ||
| 1944 | Sport São Lourenço-MG | ||
| 1944–1946 | Fluminense-MG | ||
| 1946–1952 | Bauru | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editIn 1933 Dondinho joined Atletico Mineiro playing for its youth section until 1935. He then started his senior career with Yuracan in the Itajuba championship. In 1940 he returned to Atletico Mineiro, but did not play a lot after suffering a serious knee injury.
Record
editIn 1938 Dondinho scored 5 goals with headers in Yuracan's 6–2 win against their arch-rivals Smart Futebol Clube in the 1939 regional Interior Championship of Itajubá, Minas Gerais.[3][4] His record has not been broken ever since by any player in the world while his son Pelé was aiming to break it during his career. As he stated in 2015 this was one of his biggest regrets.[5]
Death and tributes
editHe died of heart failure at the age of 79, on November 16, 1996.
On September 15, 2012, the statue "Monumento ao Dondinho" was erected in the João Ramos do Nascimento Municipal Park in Bauru. The approximately 5 meter statue depicts Dondinho and Pelé as children. The artist used cement, plaster and iron and created the work in less than 2 months.
Honors
edit- 1939 Itajubense Football Championship (Sociedade Desportiva Yuracan Futebol Clube)
- 1941 Guaraína Cup (Atlético Clube Três Corações)
- 1946 Amateur Champion of the state of São Paulo (Bauru Atlético Clube)
In popular culture
editFilmography
edit- 1962: King Pelé
- 2004: Pelé Eterno
- 2016: Pelé: Birth of a Legend
References
edit- ^ "Pelé". Expert Football. Retrieved 25 June 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "João Ramos do Nasciment"DONDINHO"" (in Portuguese). O Canto do Galo. 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
- ^ "Yuracan: Dondinho marcou 5 gols cabeça". ge.globo.com. 19 October 2012.
- ^ "Dondinho marcou 5 gols cabeça em 1939". ge.globo.com. 29 December 2022.
- ^ "Pele revealed one glaring omission in his impressive footballing resume: not being able to break his father Don Dinho's record". tribuneindia.com. 16 October 2015.
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