Copa America.. the Irish connection

[neutrino]

Stop the nonsense about Socrates please!! He was never a student in Ireland and never played footie of any description here. Its pure urban myth and anything you see on the net claiming otherwise is pure spoof.

yeah there was a thread about this on here before and it was rubbished also.

[bigmac]

Jose Quitongo was Angolan but started his career with Benfica - which is where the Portuguese link comes in. (Angola is a former colony also)

He had two spells with Waterford, which are not listed on most of the internet links, thus proving once again that "wikipedia says..." is about as useful as "a fella in the pub said.."

Don't think there have been any S. Americans that I remember in Waterford but there have been a few N. Americans and Africans alright.

[Bluebeard]

Don't think there have been any S. Americans that I remember in Waterford but there have been a few N. Americans and Africans alright.

There was a bloke with Waterford for about 3 games in the early 1990s, after we moved to the RSC, who had claims on Brazilian ancestry.

Until you spoke to him - he was a terminal Brummie. His da did come from Brazil though. Clearly, had he bothered his arse at all at Waterford, he would have attracted the attention of Parrira (an RSC regular at the time), and his life might have been somewhat different.

Funnily enough Socrates secretly used to play Leinster Senior League with Dublin Bus for 3 season from 1984 to 1987: he was a ringer, who came over during the off season for the challenge, and played under teh assumed name of Paddy Geary. The UCD thing is just pure myth though - what a ludicrous thought.

[paul_oshea]

bluebeard where do you come up with this stuff?

[passinginterest]

Carlos Alvarez was the Bolivian who played for Sligo. Think he had a trial with Wexford Youths but didn't make the cut. Wasn't very good as I recall.

Playing for Duncannon FC in the Wexford and District League now. Scored 4 goals in a cup final recently I hear.

[Jerry The Saint]

In a normal country you might expect that an official from the Football Association would be a reliable source of information instead of being full of **** and repeating some rumour he heard down the pub.

"Socrates did play for UCD, but it was way, way back, sometime in the 70s." says Brendan McKenna of the Football Association of Ireland. "He was an attraction at the time, but it was before he played for the Brazilian team. He wouldn't have played much more than a season."

Nice clear, verifiable evidence there. Pinpointed the event down to a mere decade. Good job they checked with another reliable source

That's confirmed by Gerry Callan of the Irish Star, who says he thinks Socrates did play for UCD, but only for the reserves on Saturday's as the first team played on Sunday, and he didn't want to play then

Confirmed my hole!


An alternative viewpoint

http://www.ofutebol.com/AskAlex.aspx...pril&year=2003

I have two enquiries. Firstly about Socrates - I have often heard the urban legend that he was a medical student here in Ireland. I've heard two versions of the story - in one he was studying for a time in the Royal College of Surgeons, asked one day if there was any football around and was sent out to play with Bohemians reserves. The other has him in my own alma mater University College Dublin and winning the Collingwood Cup, an inter collegiate football tournament while here. I would be very grateful if you could tell me if there is any truth to either story.

Secondly, a common story here in Ireland is that Pele's nickname derives from "peile", the Gaelic for football (more usually the Gaelic version), which Irish nuns gave the young Edson. I know in the book you write that the origin of Pele is unknown, and I recall Pele in interviews saying he didn't know himself, but just another theory you mightn't have heard before.
Finally, its only polite to tell you that I write occasional articles for the Irish medical press, I was thinking of maybe pitching a brief one about your book focusing on the Socrates angle.

Thanks

Seamus Sweeney


Response:

I never realized that Brazilian football had such an Irish connection!

Both are delightful stories and I wish they were both true....

So I emailed Socrates and asked him. He replied: "I've never been to Dublin."

Then I emailed Pepito Fornos, who has worked with Pele for decades.

He wrote: "The explanation makes no sense at all. It's absurd" .

"There is only one explanation - Pelé's dad, Dondinho, played for a team in Bauru, in Sao Paulo State, whose goalie was called Bilé. Pelé, aged eight, when he messed around in goal in the streets, said he was Bilé - and his friends thought he was saying Pelé. The name stuck, even though Pelé didn?t like it, but he got used to it."

So that's the official line - although I'm sure new explanations for Pelé's name will carry on appearing as will stories from Socrates' past.

Anyone know why Germany sometimes wear green jerseys?

[soccerc]

Anyone know why Germany sometimes wear green jerseys?

Another urban (parochial Irish more so) myth

[gustavo]

What about that shamrock in Panathinaikos's flag!

[paul_oshea]

LOL quality, jerry.

[osarusan]

Leonardo Trenchin - not sure about the spelling.

Played with Limerick once in the early 90s. I remember being thrilled that we had a Argentinian on the team. He was subbed on, made a few shapes which impressed me greatly, then was nailed in a brutal, but fair tackle, and was nothing more than an onlooker until the end.

Never saw him again.

[bellavistaman]

Ramblers once had a nigerian international playing for them, anto omagufi or something, now playing with mallow, briliant. Some man for a back flip tough. Never played with us, only reserves, no good.

[Dodge]

Ah the old "sign me I'm an international" trick.

[bellavistaman]

Ah the old "sign me I'm an international" trick.

in our case he became a international whilst playin with rams(even though never started) played on the same team as Jay Jay Okocha, has his jersey and all.

[Dodge]

Of course he did

[Sheridan]

Was he the one who got picked for an international at Loftus Road or somewhere because he happened to be in the right place at the right time?

[osarusan]

Of course he did

Are you calling anto ofa.....omi......omagufi a liar?

[OneRedArmy]

Derry City once paid an Africian trialist with a large bag of sweets........

Allegedly.

[Dodge]

I'm literally gobsmacked

Apologies to bellavistaman. Not as big a geek as I thought I was

Now in Wales

[osarusan]

Are you calling anto ofa.....omi......omagufi a liar?

I'm literally gobsmacked

Apologies to bellavistaman. Not as big a geek as I thought I was

Now in Wales

Oh, I look foolish.

[Dodge]

According to kickoffnigeria.com: "He was an absolute disaster with top stars like Joseph Yobo coming out to blast officials of the Nigerian FA for dragging the good name of Nigerian football in the mud with such a call-up."

http://www.welsh-premier.com/news.php?ID=4951