Didi (footballer, born 1928)
Madureira in 1947. In 1949 he transferred to Fluminense, one of Rio's biggest clubs. There, Didi impressed, but in 1950 he was still too young to participate in the World Cup in his own country. That same year he was part of a representative team from Rio that opened the Maracanã against a team from São Paulo. In the game, Didi scored the first ever goal in one of the largest stadiums in the world. A year later he won the Rio de Janeiro State Championship with his club and the Copa Rio the following year. However, Didi ran into trouble at the time when Fluminense's arch-rival Botafogo, tried to get him in. The relationship between Fluminense and Didi deteriorated as a result, also because he was criticized after he left his wife and young daughter for the actress Guiomar Batista. Finally, in 1956, after seven years, Didi made the switch to Botafogo for two million cruzeiro, a record amount at the time. At Botafogo, he immediately bonded with Nílton Santos and Garrincha, with whom he would celebrate the State Championship together a year later. In 1959, the playmaker made the move to Real Madrid , where he became the first black player in club history. Real were one of the best clubs in the world at the time, but Didi had a frustrating period there. Didi was unable to force a starting spot and ran into problems with Alfredo Di Stéfano , who did not want to share his star status. The Brazilian therefore decided to return to Botafogo after two seasons. With that club he again won the State Championship in 1961 and 1962. The playmaker went on to play for several other clubs before ending his active career in 1966.