José Carlos da Costa Araújo


José Carlos da Costa Araújo, best known as Zé Carlos, was a Brazilian association footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At international level, he represented the Brazilian national team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Career

Throughout his career he played for Americano de Campos, Flamengo, Rio Branco, Cruzeiro, Vitória, XV de Piracicaba, América and Tubarão. He played also in Portugal, where he defended Vitória de Guimarães, SC Farense, and Felgueiras.
The best moment in his career came when he played for Flamengo, in the late eighties, when he won one Brazilian championship in 1987 and one Rio de Janeiro state championship in 1986.
At that time he was often called up for the Brazil national football team, but was usually the second goalkeeper after Taffarel. That was the case in the 1988 Olympics. He did play on two occasions in 1989. However, during the 1990 FIFA World Cup, he only made the third goalkeeper, after Taffarel and Acácio.

Death

Zé Carlos died on 24 July 2009 of abdominal cancer, after more than one month at a hospital in Rio de Janeiro.
On 26 July 2009, after Flamengo defeated Santos for the first time in official matches playing at Vila Belmiro, the current manager of Flamengo, Andrade, who was Zé Carlos' friend and teammate in the 1980s, both in Flamengo and in Brazilian team, crying, dedicated the special victory to Zé Carlos.