Arthur Antunes Coimbra, born 3 March 1953 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is better known as Zico.
Often called the “White Pelé”, he is commonly considered one of the most skilled dribblers and finishers ever and possibly the world’s best player of the early ’80s. He was also known as one of history’s greatest free kick specialists, able to bend the ball with pace and accuracy as well as having an extremely powerful shot. According to Pelé, generally considered the best footballer ever, “throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico”.
Zico scored 52 goals in 72 international matches for Brazil, and represented them in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups. They did not win any of those tournaments, even though the 1982 squad is considered one of the greatest Brazilian national squads ever. Zico is often considered one of the best players in football history not to have been on a World Cup winning squad. He was chosen as the 1983 Player of the Year.
Parts 2 & 3 after the jump
