Dondinho

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Dondinho
Dondinho playing for Atletico Mineiro, c. 1941
Personal information
Full name João Ramos do Nascimento
Date of birth 2 October 1917
Place of birth Campos Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Date of death 16 November 1996 (aged 79)
Place of death São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1933–1935 Atlético Mineiro
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Yuracan-MG
Hepacaré [pt]
1940 Atlético Mineiro
1940–1942 Atlético Três Corações [pt]
1942–1944 Fluminense-MG
1944 São Lourenço-MG
1944–1946 Fluminense-MG
1946–1952 Bauru
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

João Ramos do Nascimento (2 October 1917 – 16 November 1996), nicknamed Dondinho, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a centre forward. He was the father, mentor and trainer of Pelé.[1] During his own playing career, Dondinho played for a number of clubs including Atlético Mineiro.[2] He became known as "Maleável" due to his ability to score headers.

Club career[edit]

In 1933 Dondinho joined Atletico Mineiro playing for its youth section until 1935. He then started his senior career with Yuracan in the Itajuba championship. In 1940 he returned to Atletico Mineiro, but did not play a lot after suffering a serious knee injury.

Record[edit]

In 1938 Dondinho scored 5 goals with headers in Yuracan's 6–2 win against their arch-rivals Smart Futebol Clube in the 1939 regional Interior Championship of Itajubá, Minas Gerais.[3][4] His record has not been broken ever since by any player in the world while his son Pele was aiming to break it during his career. As he stated in 2015 this was one of his biggest regrets.[5]

Death and tributes[edit]

He died of heart failure at the age of 79, on November 16, 1996.

On September 15, 2012, the statue "Monumento ao Dondinho" was erected in the João Ramos do Nascimento Municipal Park in Bauru. The approximately 5 meter statue depicts Dondinho and Pelé as children. The artist used cement, plaster and iron and created the work in less than 2 months.

Honors[edit]

  • 1939 Itajubense Football Championship (Sociedade Desportiva Yuracan Futebol Clube)
  • 1941 Guaraína Cup (Atlético Clube Três Corações)
  • 1946 Amateur Champion of the state of São Paulo (Bauru Atlético Clube)

In popular culture[edit]

Filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Pelé". Expert Football. Retrieved 25 June 2008.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "João Ramos do Nasciment"DONDINHO"" (in Portuguese). O Canto do Galo. 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
  3. ^ "Yuracan: Dondinho marcou 5 gols cabeça". ge.globo.com. 19 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Dondinho marcou 5 gols cabeça em 1939". ge.globo.com. 29 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Pele revealed one glaring omission in his impressive footballing resume: not being able to break his father Don Dinho's record". tribuneindia.com. 16 October 2015.