Edmundo (footballer)


Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto, better known simply as Edmundo, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a forward.
Nicknamed as Animal, Edmundo played for Brazil national team in the victorious 1997 Copa América, and at the 1998 World Cup, where they finished in second place. With Brazilian side Palmeiras, he won the Brasileirão Série A twice in a row, in 1993 and 1994, while with Vasco da Gama he won the 1997 edition, scoring 29 goals; he also had spells in Italy and Japan.
A talented yet controversial footballing figure, he drew attention both for his skill, as well as for his volatile behaviour, both on and off the pitch.

Club career

Vasco da Gama

Born in Niterói, 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 with Vasco da Gama. He began his career with the club in the amateur divisions in 1982, also later playing for the Botafogo 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.
He returned to the club in 1996, and in 1997, when Vasco won the Brasileirão Série A, he was the season's top scorer, his 29 goals breaking a record set by Reinaldo of Atlético Mineiro 20 years earlier. In that same year, Vasco da Gama scored 69 goals. That season, Edmundo was named the league's player of the year. He also scored 6 goals in a match against União São João. After moving between several clubs abroad, he returned to Vasco da Gama in 1999, where he joined his international team-mate Romário and was initially handed the captain's armband, reaching the final of the 2000 Club World Championship, defeating Manchester United in the process; 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. He returned to Vasco da Gama again in 2003, where he remained until the end of the season when was released after scoring only 7 goals in 19 appearances. 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 his testimonial match when Vasco da Gama hosted Barcelona de Guayaquil in a friendly match. The game ended 9–1 with Edmundo scoring twice.

Career in Brazil

In 1993, Edmundo left Vasco da Gama and transferred to Palmeiras, where he won the Brasileirão twice, in 1993 and 1994, scoring 34 goals in 89 appearances for the club. Despite his success, he had several disputes with his manager Wanderley Luxemburgo, and was involved in an altercation with his team-mate Antônio Carlos, which led to Edmundo being sacked by the club. He later joined Flamengo for a season in 1995, and subsequently signed for Corinthians in 1996, although he failed to make an appearance for the club, as he reportedly stormed out of a training session after an argument. He later joined Santos on loan in 2000, and Cruzeiro in 2001. After another spell at Vasco da Gama, he joined Fluminense in 2004, scoring 7 goals in 20 appearances, and also scored 1 goal in 2 appearances whilst playing for Nova Iguaçu in 2005.

Time in Italy and abroad

In 1997, Italian club Fiorentina purchased Edmundo for 13 billion lire, 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 the 1998–99 season, under manager Giovanni Trapattoni; Edmundo left the club midway through the season in order to attend the Rio Carnival. Although at that point Fiorentina were first in the league, due to his absence, as well as strike partner Gabriel 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.
In January 2001, he was sent out on loan to Napoli, where he remained until June. He was injured during his debut with the club against Udinese however, which kept him sidelined, and was unable to prevent the club's relegation to Serie B at the end of the season.
Later that year, he joined J1 League club Tokyo Verdy, scoring 18 goals in 31 appearances, and remaining with the club until 2002. He joined Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds in 2003, but did not make a single appearance for the team.

Later years

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 helping Figueirense avoid relegation in the 2005 Brasileirão Série A, as he managed 15 goals in 31 appearances. The following season, he also saved Palmeiras from relegation during the 2006 Brasileirão Série A.
Along with Jorge Valdivia and Marcos, Edmundo was one of the most important footballers for Palmeiras during the 2007 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 that Caio Júnior, who was favorable to this permanence, was sacked and Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who has personal problems with Edmundo, was hired.
In January 2008, Edmundo returned to Vasco da Gama, although he was not able to prevent the club's relegation to the 2009 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. Edmundo announced retirement from football on 30 May 2008, but he returned to play until the end of 2008 season.

International career

At international level Edmundo made 42 appearances for Brazil between 1992 and 2000, scoring 10 goals. He was a member of the team that won the 1997 Copa América, and also made two substitute appearances at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, including the final where the team lost 3–0 to hosts France and finished in second place. Additionally, Edmundo was a member of the Brazil squad that took part at the 1993 and 1995 Copa América tournaments, winning a runners-up medal in the latter edition; he also won a bronze medal at the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Furthermore, he took part in two exhibition tournaments with the Brazil national side, winning the 1995 Umbro Cup, and finishing second in the 1997 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, are thought to have limited his playing time at international level.

Style of play

Edmundo was a quick, powerful, creative, and technically gifted player, who was known for his pace, strength, acceleration, and his outstanding dribbling skills, as well as his use of feints, including the Pelé runaround move; as a second striker, he was capable of both scoring and assisting many goals. A versatile forward, Edmundo played primarily as a second striker, but was capable to play as a winger or even as a main striker or attacking midfielder. Despite his talent, he was also a tenacious and controversial footballer, who was criticised for his poor work-rate and lack of consistency at times; he was also known for his aggression and poor behaviour on the pitch, which often led him to pick up cards, and earned him the nickname O Animal.

Outside of football

In the middle of 2009, Edmundo became a football pundit for Rede TV!. In the beginning of 2010, Rede Bandeirantes hired him; he was part of the broadcaster's journalistics team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012 coverages.

Controversy

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". 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 having a chimpanzee called Pedrinho drunk on beer and whiskey. Subsequent images of this appeared in the media and have passed into a football legend. Days later, Edmundo proved those accusations were false. The same year, during his turbulent time with Fiorentina, he also escaped a four year prison sentence for driving drunk and crashing his car during the Rio Carnival of 1995, resulting in the deaths of three people; for his behaviour he received a seven-day suspended sentence. In 1998, due to his difficult relationship with the Florentine club, he suddenly left for the Rio Carnival halfway through the season, and was two days late in returning to Florence according to the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

;Vasco da Gama
;Palmeiras
;Brazil