_01.jpg) Toninho Cerezo in 1993 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antônio Carlos Cerezo | ||
| Date of birth | (1955-04-21)21 April 1955 (age 70) | ||
| Place of birth | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972–1983 | Atlético Mineiro | 111 | (12) |
| 1973–1974 | →Nacional (AM) (loan) | 20 | (3) |
| 1983–1986 | Roma | 70 | (13) |
| 1986–1992 | Sampdoria | 145 | (14) |
| 1992–1993 | São Paulo | 72 | (7) |
| 1994 | Cruzeiro | 10 | (3) |
| 1995 | Lousano Paulista | ||
| 1995–1996 | São Paulo | 8 | (0) |
| 1996 | América Mineiro | ||
| 1997 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 1977–1986 | Brazil | 57 | (5) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999 | Vitória | ||
| 2000–2005 | Kashima Antlers | ||
| 2005 | Guarani | ||
| 2005 | Atlético Mineiro | ||
| 2007 | Al Hilal | ||
| 2007–2009 | Al Shabab | ||
| 2009–2010 | Al Ain | ||
| 2010 | Sport Recife | ||
| 2012 | Vitória | ||
| 2013–2015 | Kashima Antlers | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 September 2010 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12 September 2010 | |||
Antônio Carlos Cerezo (born 21 April 1955), known asToninho Cerezo (Brazilian Portuguese:[toˈniɲusɛˈɾɛzu]), is a Brazilian formerfootballer. Cerezo is commonly regarded as one of the finest Braziliandefensive midfielders of all time, most notably having played for his hometown's teamAtlético Mineiro;[1] he also played for several other clubs in both Brazil and Italy throughout his career.
At international level, Cerezo took part at the1978 and1982 FIFA World Cups – winning a bronze medal in the former edition of the tournament – and the1979 Copa América, where Brazil finished in third place.
Throughout his career, Cerezo played as a defensive midfielder withAtlético Mineiro,Roma,Cruzeiro,Sampdoria,São Paulo and theBrazil national team.
While playing in Brazil, he won theBola de Ouro in 1977 and 1980 and theBola de Prata in 1976.
During his time in Italy, Cerezo won theCoppa Italia four times; in 1991 he won theSerie A withSampdoria, but lost theCoppa Italia final toAS Roma.[2]
WithSão Paulo he was a two-time winner of theIntercontinental Cup, and also won theCopa Libertadores once. Cerezo was named the best player of the 1993Intercontinental Cup final.[3](He scored the second goal and assisted Müller's game-winning goal in a 3–2 victory againstMilan.[4])
In 1997, he retired as a player, and, after doing some studies and probations in Italy, he returned to Brazil, and start a career as a manager atVitória, reaching the semifinals of theBrasileirão Série A. He also led Japanese powerhouseKashima Antlers in theJ.League for six years. He won five major titles in Japan, two league championships, oneEmperor's Cup, and two league cups.
After his time in Japan, he coached Brazilian clubsAtlético Mineiro, andGuarani, as well as some Asian clubs, such asAl Hilal,Al Shabab,Al Ain; he later returned to Brazil once again as head manager ofSport Recife, leaving the club just one month later.
Cerezo won 57 caps (full international games), between March 1977 and June 1985, with theBrazil national team, scoring five goals.
He played in the1978 FIFA World Cup, where they finished in third place, and in the1982 FIFA World Cup, where they were eliminated in the second round in a group which contained defending champions and continental rivalsArgentina, as well as the eventual championsItaly. He was also due to go to the1986 tournament, but a hamstring injury in May ruled him out of the upcoming World Cup.[5] He was a member of the Brazilian team that finished in third place at the 1979 Copa América.
At the1982 FIFA World Cup one of his back passes was intercepted by Italian strikerPaolo Rossi, who went on to score; the match ended in a 2–3 loss to Brazil, which also saw Rossi score a hat-trick, and as a result, Brazil were knocked out of the tournament in a dramatic upset. For many years after the event, he was widely criticized for this error by many Brazilian fans and members of the press.[6]
A tall and strongmidfielder, with a slender frame, Cerezo is regarded as one of the greatest Braziliandefensive midfielders of all time, and was well known for his tireless work-rate, stamina, and tactical awareness, as well as his dynamic, physical, and energetic style of play. Although he was usually deployed in aholding role, Cerezo was also an elegant and highly creative player, who was highly regarded in the media for his technique, vision, ability to understand the game, and passing range, which enabled him to orchestrate attacking moves for his team, get forward, and create chances for teammates after winning back possession; as such, he often functioned as adeep-lying playmaker in midfield throughout his career. Although he was mainly a team player, who preferred to assist other players over scoring himself, he also possessed an accurate shot.[1][6][7][8][9][10]
Cerezo is Roman Catholic[11][12] and is father of four children, including fashion modelLea T.[13]
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | League Cup | Asia | Total | |||||||
| 1972 | Atlético Mineiro | Série A | 3 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1973 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1973 | Nacional-AM | Série A | 20 | 3 | ||||||||
| 1974 | Atlético Mineiro | Série A | 5 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1975 | 12 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1976 | 19 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1977 | 18 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1978 | ||||||||||||
| 1979 | 8 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 1980 | 19 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 1981 | 9 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 1982 | 3 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1983 | 11 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1983–84 | Roma | Serie A | 30 | 6 | ||||||||
| 1984–85 | 22 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 1985–86 | 18 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 1986–87 | Sampdoria | Serie A | 28 | 3 | ||||||||
| 1987–88 | 28 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 1988–89 | 29 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1989–90 | 21 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1990–91 | 12 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 1991–92 | 27 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 1992 | São Paulo | Série A | ||||||||||
| 1993 | 13 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 1994 | Cruzeiro | Série A | 10 | 3 | ||||||||
| 1995 | Paulista | |||||||||||
| 1995 | São Paulo | Série A | 8 | 0 | ||||||||
| 1996 | América-MG | |||||||||||
| 1996 | Atlético Mineiro | Série A | ||||||||||
| Total | Brazil | |||||||||||
| Italy | 215 | 27 | ||||||||||
| Career total | ||||||||||||
| Brazil national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1977 | 11 | 2 |
| 1978 | 11 | 0 |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980 | 6 | 1 |
| 1981 | 13 | 2 |
| 1982 | 9 | 0 |
| 1983 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 5 | 0 |
| 1986 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 57 | 5 |
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Kashima Antlers | 2000 | 2005 | 184 | 98 | 31 | 55 | 053.26 |
| Kashima Antlers | 2013 | 2015 | 88 | 43 | 16 | 29 | 048.86 |
| Total | 272 | 141 | 47 | 84 | 051.84 | ||
It was with undisguised glee that, once Leandro had appeared in photoshoots as Lea T, a Rio newspaper's gossip column revealed she was none other than the daughter of soccer hero Toninho Cerezo, the World Cup veteran and contemporary of legendary Brazil players like Falcão, Sócrates and Zico. He had not, the paper said, reacted well to its questions concerning his child's new existence. "We got in touch with the former star but, irritated, he limited himself to saying that he had four children, one of them called Leandro", the newspaper reported.
Brazil squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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