Heleno de Freitas

Heleno de Freitas

Heleno de Freitas in Botafogo
Personal information
Date of birth	(1920-02-12)12 February 1920
Place of birth	São João Nepomuceno, Brazil
Date of death	8 November 1959(1959-11-08) (aged 39)
Place of death	Barbacena, Brazil
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1927–1931	Mangueira
1931–1935	Madureira
1935–1936	Botafogo
1936–1939	Fluminense
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1939–1948	Botafogo	235	(209)
1948	Boca Juniors	17	(7)
1949–1950	Vasco	24	(19)
1950	Atlético Junior	15	(9)
1951	Santos	0	(0)
1951	América	1	(0)
Total		292	(244)
International career
1944–1948	Brazil	18	(19)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Heleno de Freitas (12 February 1920 – 8 November 1959) was a Brazilian footballer. He played as a forward. Heleno de Freitas's style of play was characterized by his elegance, excellent ball control, splendid header, and brilliant technique. He was known for his ability to let teammates in front of the goal post with precise passes, even though he was a legitimate center-forward. His dribbling skills, particularly the "caneta" dribble, were highly regarded, and he was known for his inventive dribbling techniques. Despite his talent, his temper and lifestyle issues often led to problems with his teams and teammates, resulting in frequent expulsions and suspensions. Despite these challenges, his playing style and talent made him one of the most admired and feared players in Brazilian football history. Considered as one of the best Brazilian football players. De Freitas is regarded as one of the most talented footballers of all time.

Honours

Club

Botafogo

• Copa Burgos: 1941
• Taça Prefeito Dr. Durval Neves da Rocha: 1942
• Campeonato Carioca de Amadores: 1942, 1943, 1944
• Campeonato Carioca de Aspirantes: 1944, 1945
• Torneio Inicio: 1947

Vasco da Gama

• Campeonato Carioca: 1949
• Campeonato Carioca de Aspirantes: 1949

Santos

• Quadrangular de Belo Horizonte: 1951

International

Brazil

• Roca Cup: 1945
• Copa Río Branco: 1947
• Copa América runner-up: 1945, 1946
• Copa Río Branco Runner-up: 1946, 1948

Individual

• Campeonato Carioca top-scorer: 1942
• Copa América top-scorer: 1945

Other websites

• Heleno (2011): A Biographical Film directed by José Henrique Fonseca IMDb
• Lover, Fighter, Jogador: The Unbelievable Life of Heleno de Freitas
• Wilson, Jonathan (11 December 2012). "The forgotten story of … Heleno de Freitas". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
• Article on Heleno, www.museudosesportes.com.br Archived 2009-03-14 at the Wayback Machine (in Portuguese)
• Heleno Career Statistics, www.calcio.com (in Italian)

Bibliography

• Neves, Marcos Eduardo (2006). Nunca houve um homem como Heleno [There was never a man like Heleno] (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Ediouro Publicações. p. 327. ISBN 85-00-01683-3. Retrieved 6 April 2020.