Panaji: It was a few minutes after noon on Tuesday, when a car drove into the Holy Spirit Church premises in Margao, the commercial capital of Goa.
Normally the church is deserted at this time as there is no service. But it was different on Tuesday. A group was waiting and when Zico, the Brazilian football leged, stepped out of the car. Cameras and cellphones came out from the bags and pockets, and the photo op began.
Zico, or Arthur Antunes Coimbra, is the coach of the football team FC Goa. The 62-year-old star arrived in the western Indian state on Monday for his second season with the team. He went around the square appreciating the century-old houses that flank the Holy Spirit Church and then walked into the church as well.
“We were told the previous evening that he wanted to visit a church and wanted somebody who could speak in Portuguese. He came and went directly to the church. He genuflected before the altar, kissed my hand in the Portuguese system. I took him around the church and explained how devout our people are,” said Fr Avinash Rebello, the parish priest.
Word went round on Monday evening that Zico would be visiting the Holy Spirit Church the next morning. It drew a sizeable crowd, about 200 people, said some of those at the church, but it was not just youth who came to meet the FC Goa coach, but also some senior citizens.
Among them was Dr Carmo Gracias, Margao-based gynecologist and obstetrician sporting a FC Goa jersey. “Our legend came first to Loyola High School that is next to my hospital and then to Holy Spirit Church. He saw the houses and then Fr Avinash took him around the Church. He was excited to see the architecture of the Church, that is similar to churches in Portugal and Brazil,” said Dr Gracias.
Also present was former Margao Municipal Council chairperson Elinio Colaco. “My brother Alberto told me he would be coming and that he wanted someone who could speak Portuguese. He asked me to receive him, so I went there. He is not a talkative type of a person,” said Colaco. His brother Alberto is a former secretary of the All India Football Federation and the Colaco family is passionate about the game.
“I am a fan of football. We all love football so we are fans of anybody who is associated with the game,” said Elinio.
And the passionate fans of the game, the thousands that cheered FC Goa to the semi-finals in the inaugural Indian Super League last year, will now be praying that the Holy Spirit guides Zico and his team in the coming months right down to the final and the trophy.
Zico is often called the “White Pelé,” as he was a creative player, gifted with excellent technical ability and vision. He is considered one of the most skilled finishers and best passers ever. Arguably the world’s best player of the late 1970s and early 80s, he is regarded as one of the best playmakers and free kick specialists of all time, able to bend the ball in all directions.
In 1999, Zico came eighth in the FIFA Player of the Century grand jury vote, and in 2004 was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players. According to Pelé, generally considered the best player ever, “throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico.”
With 48 goals in 71 official appearances for Brazil, Zico is the fourth highest goal scorer for his national team. He 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.[9] 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 1981[10] and 1983 Player of the Year.
Zico has coached the Japanese national team, appearing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and winning the Asian Cup 2004.
Born in 1953, Zico came from a lower-middle-class family of Portuguese origin, in the neighborhood of Quintino Bocaiúva, Rio de Janeiro. In common with many young Brazilians, he spent much of his youth dreaming of being a professional footballer and cutting classes to play football on the streets.
His passion for the sport made him famous in the neighborhood, where people would gather to see the boy’s brilliant performances against older children and teenagers. In 1967, at 14 years old, he had a scheduled trial at América, where his brothers Antunes and Edu were professional players. But on a Sunday, during a River match, Zico scored 9 goals and caught the attention of radio reporter Celso Garcia, who asked Zico’s father to take him to a trial at Flamengo instead. Being a Flamengo fan, Zico had his father’s approval, beginning his path towards becoming one of the most admired players in the history of the sport.