He dribbled the ball around the flailing keeper and walked the ball towards the goal. He stopped on the goal line, turned around to face the other players and back-heeled his third and Botafogo’s sixth into the net.... Andrew Downie, Doctor Sócrates: Footballer, Philosopher, Legend
The man with the 'heel of gold', Sócrates Brasileiro was a leader and idol at Sao Paulo’s storied Corinthians club, and the captain of Brazil’s 1982 World Cup team. To understand Sócrates’s contribution, it is important to understand the times he lived in. He grew up during the brutal 21-year military dictatorship that changed Brazil, and achieved football glory at its tail end, when the country was under economic distress. It was a spirited, hopeful, energetic and chaotic time and place.
Sócrates transcended football, says journalist and author Andrew Downie, whose books include Doctor Sócrates and The Greatest Show on Earth, the latter about the 1970 World Cup. “He stood out on the field because he looked unusual [with his headband and beard],” Downie told THE WEEK. “He caught people’s attention by using the back heel in a way no player had ever done before, nor after.”
This story is from the November 20, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 20, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
