 Edmundo playing forVasco da Gama in 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Edmundo Alves de Souza Oliveira | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1971-04-02)2 April 1971 (age 54) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Niterói, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1986 | Vasco da Gama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1989 | Botafogo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Vasco da Gama | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Vasco da Gama | 23 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Palmeiras | 40 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994 | →Parma (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Flamengo | 14 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | →Corinthians (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Vasco da Gama | 44 | (38) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Fiorentina | 37 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Vasco da Gama | 17 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | →Santos (loan) | 20 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | →Napoli (loan) | 17 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Cruzeiro | 12 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Tokyo Verdy | 31 | (18) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Vasco da Gama | 20 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Fluminense | 19 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Nova Iguaçu | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Figueirense | 31 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Palmeiras | 49 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Vasco da Gama | 25 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 377 | (177) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2000 | Brazil | 39 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Edmundo Alves de Souza Oliveira[a] (born 2 April 1971), better known simply asEdmundo, is a Brazilian footballpundit and retiredfootballer who played as aforward. NicknamedO Animal,[b] he was a talented yet controversial footballer and drew attention both for his skill, as well as for his volatile behaviour, both on and off the pitch.[1][2][3][4]
Edmundo started his professional career inVasco da Gama in 1991, making his debut in 1992, where he won theCariocão Grupo A in1992. In 1993, he signed withPalmeiras, where he was part of the team that won theBrasileirão Série A in1993 and1994 and thePaulistão Série A1 in1993, which ended the club's 17-year major title drought, and1994, with a loan spell atParma in 2000.[5] In 1995, he moved toFlamengo and in 1996, after a loan spell inCorinthians, he returned to Vasco da Gama, where he won the Brasileirão Série A in1997, netting 29 goals in 28 games, breaking the then Brasileirão Série A scoring record for a season. In 1998, he moved toItalian clubFiorentina. In 1999, he returned to Vasco da Gama. After loans toSantos andNapoli and a spell atCruzeiro, in 2001, he moved toJapan, where he played inTokyo Verdy andUrawa Red Diamonds. In 2003, he moved to Vasco da Gama, and after spells atFluminense,Nova Iguaçu,Figueirense and Palmeiras, he returned to Vasco da Gama in 2008, where he retired, returning in 2012 to atestimonial match.
Edmundo played forBrazil national team from 1992 to 2000. He played theWorld Cup in1998, where Brazil reached thefinal and finished runner-up. He played threeCopa América editions, in1993,1995 and1997, winning the 1997 and finished runner-up in 1995. He also played theCONCACAF Gold Cup in1998.
Born inNiterói, Edmundo played for several clubs throughout his career, both in his native country of Brazil and abroad. However, the history of Edmundo, as a football player, is strongly intertwined withVasco da Gama. He began his career with the club in the amateur divisions in 1982, also later playing for theBotafogo youth side before returning to the club. He went on to make his debut as professional with the Vasco da Gama senior side, where he remained until 1992.[6]
He returned to the club in 1996, and in 1997, when Vasco won theBrasileirão Série A, he was the season's top scorer, his twenty-nine goals breaking a record set byReinaldo ofAtlético Mineiro twenty years earlier. In that same year,Vasco da Gama scored sixty-nine goals. That season, Edmundo was named the league's player of the year.[7] He also scored six goals in a match againstUnião São João. After moving between several clubs abroad, he returned to Vasco da Gama in 1999, where he joined his international team-mateRomário and was initially handed thecaptain's armband, reaching the final of the2000 Club World Championship, defeatingManchester United in the process;[2] he was later kicked off the team in 2000 by vice-president Eurico Miranda for lack of discipline, however, after he left the dressing-room before a game.[6] He returned to Vasco da Gama again in 2003, where he remained until the end of the season when was released after scoring only seven goals in nineteen appearances.[2] He returned to Vasco da Gama in 2008, when he played the last season of his career. In total, he made 127 appearances with the club.
Regarding his attachment to the club, Edmundo stated that his love for Vasco da Gama was like that between a son and his mother. On 28 March 2012, he played histestimonial match when Vasco da Gama hostedBarcelona de Guayaquil in a friendly match. The game ended 9–1 with Edmundo scoring twice.[8]
In 1993, Edmundo left Vasco da Gama and transferred toPalmeiras, where he won theBrasileirão twice, in1993 and1994, scoring thirty-four goals in eighty-nine appearances for the club. Despite his success, he had several disputes with his managerVanderlei Luxemburgo, and was involved in an altercation with his team-mateAntônio Carlos, which led to Edmundo being sacked by the club.[6] On 27 June 1995 he joinedFlamengo who paid Palmeiras 5.5 million dollars, one of the highest transfer fees in Brazilian football. However he stayed in Flamengo for a season in 1995 (two goals in fourteen appearances), and subsequently signed forCorinthians in 1996, although he failed to make an appearance for the club, as he reportedly stormed out of a training session after an argument.[6] He later joinedSantos on loan in 2000 (scoring thirteen goals in twenty appearances),[6] andCruzeiro in 2001 (three goals in thirteen appearances). After another spell at Vasco da Gama, he joinedFluminense in 2004, scoring seven goals in twenty appearances,[2] and also scored one goal in two appearances whilst playing forNova Iguaçu in 2005.[9]
In 1997, Italian clubFiorentina purchased Edmundo for 13 billion lire (approx. 8 million dollars at the time), and he remained with the team until 1999. Despite putting on some spectacular performances during his tenure in Florence, which initially endeared him with the fans, his stint in Italy was also marked by inconsistency and controversy, which drew criticism from the press. One particular incident which drew much publicity occurred during the1998–99 season, under managerGiovanni Trapattoni; Edmundo left the club midway through the season in order to attend theRio Carnival. Although at that point Fiorentina were first in the league, due to his absence, as well as strike partnerGabriel Batistuta's injury, Fiorentina missed out on the league title at the end of the season, and as a result, Edmundo had a falling out with the club, his manager, and his team-mates.[1][6][10]
In April 1999, he returned to Vasco da Gama, who paid Fiorentina a record 23 billion lire (payable in two installments). There, he created a lethal partnership in attack withRomário with whom they were not in speaking terms. Edmundo captained Vasco at the2000 FIFA Club World Championship, where they reached the final only to lose to Corinthians on penalties, with him missing the decisive kick.
In January 2001, he was sent out on loan toNapoli, where he remained until June.[7][10] He was injured during his debut with the club againstUdinese however, which kept him sidelined,[11] and was unable to prevent the club's relegation toSerie B at the end of the season.
Later that year, he joinedJ1 League clubTokyo Verdy, scoring eighteen goals in thirty-one appearances, and remaining with the club until 2002. He joined Japanese clubUrawa Red Diamonds in 2003, but did not make a single appearance for the team.[7]
During the end of his career, Edmundo still managed to perform well, despite not being as physically strong or fit as he had been during his prime in the mid-90s, although his performances became increasingly less consistent with age. Nevertheless, his football skills and goalscoring proved to be fundamental in helpingFigueirense avoid relegation in the2005 Brasileirão Série A, as he managed fifteen goals in thirty-one appearances. The following season, he also saved Palmeiras from relegation during the2006 Brasileirão Série A.[12]
Along withJorge Valdivia andMarcos, Edmundo was one of the most important footballers for Palmeiras during the2007 season; however, his contract was not renewed at the end of the season. There are two versions of this fact: according to the "official" one, his salary was too high for his irregular performances. But it is more possible that the actual reason was thatCaio Júnior, who was favorable to this permanence, was sacked andVanderlei Luxemburgo, who has personal problems with Edmundo, was hired.[12]
In January 2008, Edmundo returned to Vasco da Gama,[12] although he was not able to prevent the club's relegation to the2009 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. Edmundo announced retirement from football on 30 May 2008,[7][13] but he returned to play until the end of2008 season.[14]
At international level, Edmundo made forty-two appearances forBrazil between 1992 and 2000, scoring ten goals.[13][15] He was a member of the team that won the1997 Copa América,[7] and also made two substitute appearances at the1998 FIFA World Cup,[16] including thefinal where the team lost 3–0 to hostsFrance and finished in second place.[17] Additionally, Edmundo was a member of the Brazil squad that took part at the1993 and1995 Copa América tournaments, winning a runners-up medal in the latter edition; he also won a bronze medal at the1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Furthermore, he took part in two exhibition tournaments with the Brazil national side, winning the1995 Umbro Cup, and finishing second in the1997 Tournoi de France. Despite his talent, however, Edmundo's turbulent lifestyle off the pitch, as well as extensive competition from several world-class Brazilian forwards at the time (includingBebeto,Romário, andRonaldo), are thought to have limited his playing time at international level.[6]
Edmundo was a quick, powerful, creative, and technically gifted player, who was known for his pace, strength, acceleration, and his outstandingdribbling skills, as well as his use offeints, including thePelé runaround move; as asecond striker, he was capable of both scoring and assisting many goals.[4][18] A versatile forward, Edmundo played primarily as a second striker, but was capable to play as awinger or even as a mainstriker orattacking midfielder. Despite his talent, he was also a tenacious and controversial footballer,[2] who was criticised for his poor work-rate and lack of consistency at times;[19][20] he was also known for his aggression and poor behaviour on the pitch, which often led him to pick up cards,[4] and earned him the nickname '"O Animal ("The Animal").[1][18][19]
In the middle of 2009, Edmundo became a football pundit forRede TV!. In the beginning of 2010,Rede Bandeirantes hired him; he was part of the broadcaster's journalistics team in the2010 FIFA World Cup andUEFA Euro 2012 coverages.[2]
Known for his tenacious style of play and aggressive behaviour, as well as his skill on the pitch, Edmundo was also involved in several incidents off the pitch throughout his career; he had several disagreements with his managers and officials, and was known for his "partying".[2] In 1999, he faced prosecution by animal welfare groups after hiring an entire circus to perform in his back garden to celebrate his son's first birthday. At the party, he was accused by some individuals of the press of encouraging a chimpanzee called Pedrinho to be drunk on beer and whiskey.[6] Subsequent images of this appeared in the media (including the February 2004 issue of the UK version ofFHM magazine) and have passed into football legend.[3] The same year, during his turbulent time withFiorentina, he also escaped a four-year prison sentence for driving drunk and crashing his car during theRio Carnival of 1995, resulting in the deaths of three people; for his behaviour he received a seven-day suspended sentence.[2][21] In 1998, due to his difficult relationship with the Florentine club,[20] he suddenly left for the Rio Carnival halfway through the season, and was two days late in returning to Florence according to the Italian newspaperIlCorriere della Sera.[1][19][20][22]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[c] | League cup[d] | State[e] | Continental[f] | Other[g] | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vasco da Gama | 1991 | Brasileirão Série A | Cariocão Série A | ||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Brasileirão Série A | 23 | 8 | 1 | Cariocão Série A | 5 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Total | |||||||||||||||||
| Palmeiras | 1993 | Brasileirão Série A | 19 | 11 | 2 | Paulistão Série A1 | 11 | 23 | |||||||||
| 1994 | Brasileirão Série A | Paulistão Série A1 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||||||
| 1994 | Brasileirão Série A | 21 | 9 | Paulistão Série A1 | 9 | ||||||||||||
| 1995 | Brasileirão Série A | 2 | Paulistão Série A1 | 8 | 5[h] | 15 | |||||||||||
| Total | |||||||||||||||||
| Parma (loan) | 1993–94 | Serie A | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Flamengo | 1995 | Brasileirão Série A | 14 | 2 | Cariocão Série A | 2[i] | 4 | ||||||||||
| Corinthians (loan) | 1996 | Brasileirão Série A | 5 | 3 | Paulistão Série A1 | 14 | 14 | 10[h] | 5[h] | 29 | 22 | ||||||
| Vasco da Gama | 1996 | Brasileirão Série A | 16 | 9 | Cariocão Série A | 2[j] | 11 | ||||||||||
| 1997 | Brasileirão Série A | 28 | 29 | Cariocão Série A | 9 | 2[i] | 40 | ||||||||||
| Total | 44 | 38 | |||||||||||||||
| Fiorentina | 1997–98 | Serie A | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 4 | ||||||
| 1998–99 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 4[k] | 2[k] | 38 | 12 | |||||||
| Total | 37 | 12 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 4 | 2 | 48 | 16 | |||||||
| Vasco da Gama | 1999 | Brasileirão Série A | 17 | 13 | Cariocão Série A | 4 | 3 | 21 | 16 | ||||||||
| 2000 | Brasileirão Série A | 3 | 3 | Cariocão Série A | 10 | 9 | 4[l] | 2[l] | 14 | ||||||||
| Total | |||||||||||||||||
| Santos (loan) | 2000 | Brasileirão Série A | 20 | 13 | Paulistão Série A1 | 13 | |||||||||||
| Napoli (loan) | 2000–01 | Serie A | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 4 | ||||||
| Cruzeiro | 2001 | Brasileirão Série A | 12 | 3 | — | Mineiro Módulo I | 3[m] | 6 | |||||||||
| Tokyo Verdy | 2001 | J1 League | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 4 | |||||
| 2002 | 26 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | — | — | 32 | 21 | |||||||
| Total | 31 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | — | — | 40 | 25 | |||||||
| Urawa Reds | 2003 | J1 League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Vasco da Gama | 2003 | Brasileirão Série A | 20 | 7 | Cariocão Série A | 7 | |||||||||||
| Fluminense | 2004 | Brasileirão Série A | 19 | 7 | Cariocão Série A | 2 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Nova Iguaçu | 2005 | Copa Rio | — | Cariocão Série B1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Figueirense | 2005 | Brasileirão Série A | 31 | 15 | Catarinense Divisão Principal | 15 | |||||||||||
| Palmeiras | 2006 | Brasileirão Série A | 29 | 10 | — | Paulistão Série A1 | 6 | 3[h] | 19 | ||||||||
| 2007 | 20 | 4 | Paulistão Série A1 | 12 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 49 | 14 | |||||||||||||||
| Vasco da Gama | 2008 | Brasileirão Série A | 25 | 13 | 6 | Cariocão Série A | 5 | 24 | |||||||||
| Career total | 377 | 177 | |||||||||||||||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1992 | 4 | 1 |
| 1993 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 12 | 5 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 37 | 10 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 November 1992 | Amigão,Campina Grande, Brazil |  Uruguay | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly | [24] |
| 2 | 24 June 1993 | Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar,Cuenca, Ecuador |  Paraguay | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1993 Copa América | [25] |
| 3 | 4 June 1995 | Villa Park,Birmingham, England |  Sweden | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [26] |
| 4 | 11 June 1995 | Wembley Stadium,London, England |  England | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly | [27] |
| 5 | 10 July 199 | Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera,Rivera, Uruguay |  Peru | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1995 Copa América | [28] |
| 6 | 1 July 1995 | Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera, Rivera, Uruguay |  Argentina | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1995 Copa América | [29] |
| 7 | 9 August 1995 | National Stadium,Tokyo, Japan |  Japan | 2–0 | 5–1 | Friendly | [30] |
| 8 | 19 June 1997 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera,Santa Cruz, Bolivia |  Colombia | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1997 Copa América | [31] |
| 9 | 29 June 1997 | Estadio Hernando Siles,La Paz, Bolivia |  Bolivia | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1997 Copa América | [32] |
| 10 | 8 February 1998 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,Los Angeles, United States |  El Salvador | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup | [33] |
Vasco da Gama
Palmeiras
Flamengo
ACF Fiorentina
Nova Iguaçu FC
Brazil
Individual
