Paulo Roberto Falcão
Paulo Roberto Falcão, or simply Falcão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu ʁoˈbɛʁtu fawˈkɐ̃w]; born 16 October 1953), is a Brazilian former footballer and football manager. He is universally considered one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time and one of the greatest defensive midfielders in football history, and one of the best players in the world in his position at his peak in the 1980s.
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Falcão with Roma during the 1983–84 Serie A season | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paulo Roberto Falcão | ||
| Date of birth | 16 October 1953 | ||
| Place of birth | Abelardo Luz, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1965–1972 | Internacional | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1972–1980 | Internacional | 342 | (58) |
| 1980–1985 | Roma | 107 | (22) |
| 1985–1986 | São Paulo | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 461 | (80) | |
| International career | |||
| 1972 | Brazil U23 | 12 | (2) |
| 1976–1986 | Brazil | 34 | (6) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1990–1991 | Brazil | ||
| 1991–1992 | Club América | ||
| 1993 | Internacional | ||
| 1994 | Japan | ||
| 2011 | Internacional | ||
| 2012 | Bahia | ||
| 2015–2016 | Sport Recife | ||
| 2016 | Internacional | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Falcão is widely considered one of the best players in Internacional and Roma history, playing also for São Paulo. At one stage, he was the world's highest paid footballer.
Due to his success and performances with Roma, Falcão earned the nickname "the eighth King of Rome" from the fans, like Amedeo Amadei before him, and was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2013.
For the Brazil national team, Falcão was capped 34 times between February 1976 and June 1986. He appeared at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, playing in midfield alongside Zico, Sócrates and Éder, considered one of the greatest Brazilian national teams ever. He was named by Pelé one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards ceremony in 2004. Colombian forward Radamel Falcao's father was a footballer and football fan and named him after Falcão.