 Aldair in 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aldair Nascimento dos Santos[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1965-11-30)30 November 1965 (age 59)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ilhéus, Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1989 | Flamengo | 54 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Benfica | 22 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2003 | Roma | 330 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Genoa | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Rio Branco | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Murata | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 435 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Brazil Olympic (O.P.) | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–2000[4] | Brazil | 81 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aldair Nascimento dos Santos (Brazilian Portuguese:[awdaˈiʁ]; born 30 November 1965), known simply asAldair, is a Brazilian retiredfootballer who played as acentre back, and who was part of theBrazil national team that won the1994 FIFA World Cup.
Considered as one of Brazil's greatest defenders ever,[5][6] he spent most of his professional career at Italian clubAS Roma, where he later also served ascaptain, winning theSerie A title with the club in2001. Nicknamed "Pluto" by Roma fans,[7] he is one of the members to have been inducted into the club'sHall of Fame.[8]
Aldair started playing atFlamengo where he won the State ChampionshipCampeonato Carioca in1986. He moved to Europe in 1989, playing withBenfica, winning thePortuguese Supercup, and reaching theEuropean Cup final during his only season with the team.
Aldair subsequently moved toAS Roma in 1990 and played with this club during 13 seasons, until 2003. He played a total of 436 matches with theGiallorossi, scoring 20 goals in total.[9] During this period he won theSerie A in 2001, oneSupercoppa Italiana, and oneCoppa Italia in1991 (also reaching theUEFA Cup final in the same year). Aldair was recognised in 2000 as one of the best players in the world by being selected in the FIFA XI; still, he remained loyal to Roma in spite of the club not having won any major international honours during his time there.
Due to his long career with Roma, Aldair is currently themost-capped foreign player in the Italian club's history and the clubdecided to retire his number 6 jersey when he left the team in 2003. However, this retirement was not permanent, as in 2013 the shirt number 6 has been conceded toKevin Strootman, with Aldair's approval.[10] In 1998, he was chosen to be thecaptain of theGiallorossi but preferred to grant thearmband to the then 22-years oldFrancesco Totti.[11] For his contribution to the club, Aldair was included into theAS Roma Hall of Fame in 2012, and thus recognized as one of the best footballers in the club's history.
After Roma, Aldair then briefly joinedGenoa. In July 2005, Aldair announced plans of playing forRio Branco, and played two games for the club in the state championship, helping his team to win the title.
Former teammate and good friendMassimo Agostini convinced him to play inSan Marino forSS Murata in order to boost theirChampions League campaign. After Murata's dreadful 7–1 aggregate defeat to CypriotsAPOEL in the first round of qualifying for the2006–07 UEFA Cup, Agostini decided to call upon Aldair to join him on the Italian Peninsula. Aldair took part in the Champions League qualifying stage in July 2007.
Aldair was part of theBrazilian squad that took part at the1990 FIFA World Cup. In 1994, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he played for the Brazilian squad that won the1994 FIFA World Cup. Originally not included in the squad announced on 10 May 1994, he was called up as replacement whenCarlos Mozer had to withdraw due to illness. He also played for Brazil in the1998 World Cup, as Brazil went on to reach thefinal once again, only to be defeated byFrance. He took part in three Copa América's with Brazil, winning the title in1989 and1997, whilst earning a runners-up medal in1995. Aldair won a bronze medal at the1996 Summer Olympics, and was part of the Brazilian team that won the1997 FIFA Confederations Cup. In addition to these tournaments, Aldair also took part in two friendly tournaments with Brazil, winning the 1995Umbro Cup, and finishing in second place in the1997 Tournoi de France. In total, he appeared 81 times for Brazil between 1989 and 2000, scoring three goals.[12]
An elegant and tactically versatiledefender, Aldair was capable of playing both as asweeper andcentre back, due to his vision, technical ability and passing range. His confidence on the ball and, in particular, his adeptness atlong balls enabled him to advance into midfield and create chances for teammates. Although he was not particularly quick, he was a strong defender who excelled in the air. He also excelled at anticipating opponents with well-timed challenges due to his ability to read the game. In addition to his defensive and technical skills, Aldair was also known for his leadership and sportsmanship throughout his career.[13][14][15]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Flamengo | 1985 | Série A | – | – | ||||||||
| 1986 | Série A | 23 | 1 | 23 | 1 | |||||||
| 1987 | Série A | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||||||
| 1988 | Série A | 24 | 2 | 24 | 2 | |||||||
| 1989 | Série A | – | – | |||||||||
| Total | 54 | 3 | 54 | 3 | ||||||||
| Benfica | 1989–90 | Primeira Divisão | 22 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1[a] | 0 | 33 | 6 |
| Roma | 1990–91 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 49 | 2 | |
| 1991–92 | Serie A | 33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 43 | 3 | |
| 1992–93 | Serie A | 28 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | 42 | 4 | ||
| 1993–94 | Serie A | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95 | Serie A | 28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 1 | ||
| 1995–96 | Serie A | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Serie A | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 36 | 2 | ||
| 1997–98 | Serie A | 28 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 5 | ||
| 1998–99 | Serie A | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Serie A | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 46 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 330 | 14 | 41 | 2 | 64 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 436 | 20 | ||
| Genoa | 2003–04 | Serie B | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| Rio Branco | 2005 | Série C | – | – | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Murata | 2007–08 | Campionato Sammarinese | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2008–09 | Campionato Sammarinese | – | – | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 433 | 23 | 43 | 2 | 74 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 554 | 30 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1989 | 15 | 0 |
| 1990 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 13 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 19 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 May 1990 | Estádio Brinco de Ouro,Campinas, Brazil |  Bulgaria | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | [17] |
| 2 | 20 July 1995 | Estadio Domingo Burgueño,Maldonado, Uruguay |  United States | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1995 Copa América | [18] |
| 3 | 16 June 1997 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera,Santa Cruz, Bolivia |  Mexico | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1997 Copa América | [19] |
