Éder Aleixo de Assis, also known as Éder or Éder Aleixo (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈɛdɛʁ]; born 25 May 1957), is a Brazilian former footballer.

Éder Aleixo
Personal information
Full name Éder Aleixo de Assis
Date of birth (1957-05-25) 25 May 1957 (age 67)
Place of birth Vespasiano, Brazil
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Left winger, forward
Team information
Current team
Atlético Mineiro (assistant)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1976 América Mineiro 26 (6)
1977–1979 Grêmio 47 (14)
1980–1985 Atlético Mineiro 79 (27)
1985 Inter de Limeira
1986 Palmeiras 8 (1)
1987 Santos
1987 Sport Recife
1988 Botafogo 6 (1)
1988 Atlético Paranaense
1988 Cerro Porteño
1988–1989 Malatyaspor
1989–1990 Atlético Mineiro 19 (2)
1991 Atlético Paranaense 9 (3)
1992 União São João
1993 Cruzeiro
1994–1995 Atlético Mineiro
1995–1996 União São João
1996 Gama
International career
1979–1986 Brazil[1] 52 (8)
Managerial career
2018– Atlético Mineiro (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played as a left winger, and as a forward, most notably with Atlético Mineiro in the Campeonato Brasileiro[2] and with the Brazil national team. He also played for Palmeiras and Grêmio, among other teams. A few years later, he transferred to Turkey, where he played for Malatyaspor during 1988–89 season, along with Carlos and Serginho.

International career

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Éder Aleixo gained 52 caps with the Brazil national team between May 1979 and April 1986, and came to international prominence during the 1982 FIFA World Cup while playing alongside Zico, Sócrates and Falcão in what's considered one of the greatest international football teams ever.[3] In Brazil's first match of the tournament Eder scored a winning goal against the Soviet Union, flicking the ball up and volleying it into the net with blistering power and precision from 25 yards out. He followed that up with another goal in the 4–1 win over Scotland when, after feigning to shoot, he lofted the ball over Scotland's frozen goalie Alan Rough and into the far corner from the edge of the area. He smashed a bending free kick against the crossbar vs Argentina in the 2nd round group game from 30 yards out, and this shot resulted in the first goal of the match scored by Zico.

Éder Aleixo did not make the Brazilian squad for the 1986 World Cup, after losing form and fitness during the preceding season, and also because he apparently pushed a ball boy during a warm-up game for Brazil. He was sent off in his final international match, against Peru, in April 1986. Off the field he was occasionally a controversial figure; rumours abounded that he preferred partying to training and often fell out with coaches and teammates. Despite his ability as a footballer, he was also notorious for his poor work-rate, difficult and temperamental character, and lack of discipline both on and off the pitch, which led him to have issues with several of his managers.[2][4]

Style of play

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A predominantly left-footed player, Éder Aleixo usually played as a wide midfielder on the left flank, although he was also capable of playing as a forward or in a free role as a second striker; in his prime, he was considered to be one of the best players in the world in his position. Although he was not the quickest winger, he was highly creative, athletically built, and had dazzling technical skills and close control, as well as an extremely accurate and powerful bending shot with his left foot (one of his strikes reportedly reached a speed of 174.5 km/h) that earned him the nickname O Canhão ("The Cannon") from his fans; he was capable of bending the ball in any direction by striking it with either the inside or the outside of the instep of his left foot, while he was not particularly adept with his weaker right foot. In addition to his ball striking abilities from outside the area or from volleys in open play, he was also known for his accuracy from free kicks, as well as his excellent ball delivery from set-pieces and corners, and his accurate long passing and crossing ability.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[1]
National team Year Apps Goals
Brazil 1979 3 2
1980 4 0
1981 12 0
1982 10 3
1983 11 3
1985 10 0
1986 2 0
Total 52 8
Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Aleixo goal.
List of international goals scored by Éder Aleixo
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 17 May 1979 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   Paraguay 6–0 Friendly [11]
2 31 May 1979 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   Uruguay 5–1 Friendly [12]
3 5 May 1982 Castelão, São Luís, Brazil   Portugal 2–0 3–1 Friendly [13]
4 14 June 1982 Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Seville, Spain   Soviet Union 2–1 2–1 1982 FIFA World Cup [14]
5 18 June 1982 Estadio Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain   Scotland 3–1 4–1 1982 FIFA World Cup [15]
6 28 April 1983 Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   Chile 2–1 3–2 Friendly [16]
7 1 September 1983 Estádio Serra Dourada, Goiânia, Brazil   Ecuador 4–0 5–0 1983 Copa América [17]
8 13 October 1983 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay   Paraguay 1–1 1–1 1983 Copa América [18]

Honours

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Grêmio

Atlético Mineiro

Cruzeiro

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Éder Aleixo". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Futpédia: Éder Aleixo (Éder Aleixo de Assis)". Globo Esporte. Archived from the original on 5 March 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  3. ^ Daniel Pearl (3 April 2006). "No flair please, he's Brazilian". London: BBC. Retrieved 3 July 2006.
  4. ^ Steven Pye (2 July 2014). "Ranking all 15 of Brazil's goals at the 1982 World Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  5. ^ Antonino Morici (20 November 2005). "Quando il calcio esalta la potenza" [When football glorifies power]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Éder – Futebol" (in Portuguese). UOL Esporte. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Que Fim Levou? – Éder" (in Portuguese). terceirotempo.ig.com.br. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  8. ^ Pietro Cabras (3 March 2011). "Eder, il micidiale mancino dei Mondiali del 1982" (in Italian). Il Corriere dello Sport. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  9. ^ Giuseppe Ottomano. "EDER: il piede sinistro di Dio". Storie di Calcio (in Italian). Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  10. ^ Steven Pye (2 July 2014). "Ranking all 15 of Brazil's goals at the 1982 World Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Brazil v Paraguay, 17 May 1979". 11v11. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Brazil v Uruguay, 31 May 1979". 11v11. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Brazil v Portugal, 05 May 1982". 11v11. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Brazil vs. Soviet Union". National Football Teams. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Brazil vs. Scotland". National Football Teams. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Brazil vs. Chile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Brazil vs. Ecuador". National Football Teams. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Paraguay vs. Brazil". National Football Teams. Retrieved 29 October 2024.