Zito: Experience serving the youth
sambafoot.com
Good day Zito. First we like to say what an enormous pleasure it is for sambafoot.com to have the chance to interview such a successful Brazilian star. What did winning the 1958 and 1962 World Cups mean to you?
[photo=zito.JPG id=99 align=right]Zito
These events in my life have been wonderful, as much for my personal life as my career. But let me tell you it is not easy to win the world cup! The first World Cup for Brazil was 58, that was very important for our belief, in those days we did not think about money, in terms of financial profits. The second victory, in 1962, in Chile, was something I considered even more fantastic. We were drawing with Czechoslovakia and it was me who scored our second goal. To score a goal in a world cup final that helps you team win is really an indescribable event.
sambafoot.com
What are thoughts about the Intercontinental Championship in 62 and 63?
Zito
It is always good being able to play in this championship; this is the World Cup for Club football. It’s also very difficult to win one. Especially with the teams who Santos had to play against at that time, it was not easy to obtain those victories and to do it twice! Those were two great victories.
sambafoot.com
Can you briefly describe your career at Santos?
Zito
I arrived here in 1952, when Santos was a small team. The club started to give chances to its young players from 1953. In 1954 we had a good campaign in the São Paulo Championship, the most important tournament in Brazil at that time. In 1955 we won this championship. In 1956 already we had a very strong team, constituted of a half of young players and half of experienced players; we finished the year bi-champions. In 1957 was when Pelé started his career, having the possibility to play as substitution for our main striker, who broke his leg. In 58 Santos gained the championship again, already with Pelé in the group. With this fantastic machine at Santos we became tri-champions in 60, 61 and 62. All this reminds me how lucky I am to have had a glorious career in this club. I had a successful career like only a few have in world-wide soccer.
sambafoot.com
What are you currently doing?
Zito
I am executive manager of soccer. Currently we are focusing on youth that should help us in the future, players of talent, capable to give continuity to the success of the club.
sambafoot.com
What do you think of Santos’s performances of recent years? Do you think that the Robinho has potential to have a similar career to Pelé?
Zito
Already we had some victories that had been very important for the life of the club and are seeing the return of beautiful soccer that they know to play. How far Robinho will go, I consider that he was the best striker in Latin America and believe that with his stay in Europe he could well become the best in the world.
Recommended links:
All about Zito
The Santos card
The Santos pictures taken at the time of our travel to Brazil
Articles published in the special week of Santos in sambafoot.com:
The triumphs of King Pelé
Santos creator of talents
Vila Belmiro Stadium world famous home of FC Santos
