No idea. I know the FAI have run with it though.
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No idea. I know the FAI have run with it though.
Exactly what I thought when I saw the thread title. Just hope the agent's name isn't Fábio Menezes.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Anybody remember Everaldo that used to play for Dungannon?
They also had another South American at the time, Delgado I think. Both were pretty poor from what I remember.
He studied Medicine at RSCI.Quote:
Originally Posted by A face
No he didn't. Read the thread.
Everaldo played against us a few times. Nice little player.Quote:
Originally Posted by superfrank
http://www.planetworldcup.com/LEGENDS/socrates.html
This next link shows that he did become a fully qualified Doctor:
http://grg51.typepad.com/steroid_nat...s-of-socc.html
I remember reading about Socrates in Shoot magazine years ago. He did study as a medical student in Ireland. As far as I can remember Eoin Hand was the manager of that UCD side who refused to let him play. Or it could have been Tony O'Neill (?) as I think Hand managed Limerick back then. It was one of the lads who ended up involved in the Irish International set-up.
None of that shows that he studied in Ireland, they just claim that he studied medicine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrufil
The man himself has stated he's never been to ireland, hasn't he.
It's a great story, but it doesn't appear to have even a grain of truth to it.
Yes, although the link is dead now. He basically said "I've never been to Ireland"Quote:
Originally Posted by tiktok
I e-mailed Garforth Town when he played there to ask, and they actually referred me back to the exact same link. Wikipedia notes that he was with the Botafogo first team from 1974 to 1978, around when you'd imagine he'd be studying in Ireland (although it also notes he plays for us, so you should never trust wikipedia!). The myth will continue, unfortunately. People like to believe these things.
Eóin Hand was never manager of UCD.
Yeah pineapple stu you are right about Eoin Hand, I'm never great at remembering who managed who as there are many changes down through the years. Sorry about that hiccup!:o The main point I was trying to make is that I read about this in what was regarded as a soccer bible of the day Shoot magazine and not an unfounded online report. The story that I remember says that he never played for UCD because as a medical student he was told he shouldn't smoke too much. I came across another website and there is a claim on it that currently there is a book being written about the great Brazilian Socrates, and there it also says he was a medical student in Ireland so perhaps through the book, if it ever comes out, we may gain the truth. I think the question might have been asked had he ever played soccer in Ireland and the answer to this would have been no. I would be surprised though if he has never been in Ireland.
The "unfounded online report" was a UCD fan asking Alex Bellos - an authority on Brazilian football and author of Futebol - the Brazilian way of Life, who asked Socrates himself, who said he'd never been to Ireland. The fact that he's since let his site die is irrelevant. UTV Teletext and the Guardian both give a random FAI official as their source - does that count as founded?
Why would you be surprised if a Brazilian had never visited a fairly insignificant island on the far reaches of Europe?
I'd love it to be true obviously, but we have that he was with Botafogo in the Brazilian league from the age of 19. Why would he leave Brazil to come to Ireland to study medicine for one year tops and then suddenly be spotted by Brazilian football scouts, who almost immediately put him into the first team of a large enough club? Doesn't add up. And why would we not be trumping this out loud to improve our profile? I've programmes from both Everton games in 1984, less than ten years after the supposed event, which would be a perfect moment to trot out that little tid-bit, but nothing. Most people in the club know nothing about it; one or two have heard it in "duirt bean liom go nduirt bean lei" fashion and have no idea for sure if it's true or not.
If you scroll down this long page to the Dublin's Intercultural Inner City bit you will see that Socrates was invited to speak here a while back. I don't know if he came or not though. Besides Ireland hosts alot of International conferences about sports medicine and he seems to be a leading light in this context aside from any soccer issues.
http://www.dicp.ie/dicp_autumn_2006.htm
The question was posed in 2004.
The point about when the question was posed may be a valid one but you will never get me to agree that Ireland is 'a fairly insignificant island on the far reaches of Europe'. There are links between Ireland and Brazil back though history and I'm sure anyone there who has learned the subject might have an interest in seeing Ireland. Socrates in a learned man.
I do not know for sure if the tale about Socrates is true or not but I do know that I read it in what was regarded as the soccer bible of the times -Shoot. This was before the internet came to Ireland and back in the days when a home PC was an Amstrad or a Spectrum. It would be nice to be a journalist so I could find the sources that would enable me to get to the root of the truth of this saga.
There's links between Ireland and the Faroe Islands going back through history; have you ever visited them? Now imagine how less likely you would be to visit if they were on the other side of the world and you were a professional footballer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrufil
In the greater scheme of things, Ireland is insignificant. Your view is biased because you're here. Up to the 1970s, it was one of the poorest, most backward countries in the developed world.
Now you are just being downright insulting with a statement like that. The level of one's money does not measure the wealth of a person nor its nation. I'd take Ireland in the pre 70's anyday over the current Fianna Fáil infested mess we are currently in. If you want to kick out all things Irish that are culture related and replace it with an Anglo-American agenda then ask that shower of politicians!:mad: As for your lofty 'greater scheme of things' I can smell the sh1te of you from here. Go get a real life!Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Me personally I've never been outside Ireland in my life. I don't like to travel as I believe it just widens your circle of ignorance.
Glad to see the real you. Think we can move on from this topic now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrufil
(Mods - feel free to bin)
So the real issue is why is Socrates denying he played for UCD?
I thought that too, but then I realised he was in fact denying he'd ever been to Ireland. So whatever we've got, it's endemic to the whole country.
Since Cork City didn't come into existence until 1984, I strongly disagree.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrufil
Although there were 50,000 going to every Shamrock Rovers game.
All taxi drivers now I hear! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by tiktok