Carlos Alberto Pintinho Opens Up On Legendary Career | OneFootball

With clubs like Fluminense, Sevilla, and Cadiz, Carlos Alberto Pintinho established himself as a fan favorite across different countries and leagues. He sits down with us to discuss his upbringing, making a new home in Spain, and the party life in Brazil. 

From Júlio Baptista to Renato, from Dani Alves to Adriano, there has been a plethora of football players who have flourished after making the move from the Brasileirão to Sevilla Fútbol Club. However, the very first to jump from the Brazilian top flight to the Andalusian club was Carlos Alberto Pintinho.

Born on June 15, 1954, Pintinho was raised by his grandparents in the favela of Morro do Borel, but he nevertheless was afforded a cushy upbringing as a result of his grandfather’s employment at the Souza Cruz cigarette factory and was able to attend a private school.

From the very first moment, Pintinho was hooked on football. Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Pintinho watched the Brazilian national team win their maiden World Cup title in 1958, followed by triumphs in 1962 and 1970.

Pintinho would travel with his grandfather to watch Botafogo training sessions up close, dreaming of stopping legends like Garrincha, Nilton Santos, and Quarentinha with a well-executed tackle or interception. He’d often play barefoot pickup matches on the streets on the Rua São Miguel before his grandfather persuaded the Souza Cruz factory team to sign him for their futsal team.

“I remember playing barefoot as a little kid in Beira do Rio, next to the Estádio do Maracanã, that’s where I really started playing football,” said Pintinho in an exclusive Urban Pitch interview.

After impressing against elite squads from the region, Pintinho earned a move to América, where he initially transitioned to football before regressing to ‘pelada’ after they closed its youth ranks. Nevertheless, Pintinho would find a new home in Fluminense, who signed him to their academy. At 12 years old, Pintinho was going to be living away from his family in the favela and instead starting a new life in the charming neighborhood of Urca.

Despite living away from his family, only seeing them once a week if Fluminense were playing home rather than away, Pintinho managed to deal with these challenging circumstances and soar through the youth ranks for club and country, making his first team debut for Fluminense in 1972 at 17 years old. That same year would see Pintinho fly to Europe with his Brazilian national teammates and win the Tournoi Juniors U-18 de Cannes in France, before heading to Munich and finishing bottom of their group in the Summer Olympics.

His sacrifice paid off, with Pintinho overtaking captain and club icon Denílson in the starting XI and emerging as the club’s midfield anchor, helping them win the 1973 and 1975 Campeonato Carioca, the 1973 Torneio Internacional de Verão do Rio de Janeiro, and the 1975 Taça Guanabara. Tasked with marking the opponent’s No. 10, Pintinho went up against some of the greatest players of his generation, the greatest of all being Santos’ Pelé.

1976 would see Pintinho enjoy success in Brazil as well as overseas, winning the Campeonato Carioca against Rio’s other footballing powerhouses as well as Torneio de Paris in France and the Torneio Viña del Mar in Chile, followed by the Troféu Teresa Herrera in Spain the following year. Pintinho would deal with heartbreak on and off the pitch, losing his best friend and ex-teammate Geraldo Cleofas Dias Alves, who died at 22 due to complications with tonsil surgery.

On the pitch, his most memorable moment of the year came on December 5. Fluminense needed to win at home against Corinthians in order to advance to the Campeonato Brasileiro Final and challenge for their second league title. In order to do so, however, they would have to beat one of the best teams in the continent, who had a ferocious away support.

Pintinho would open the scoring after 18 minutes, but Ruço would equalize shortly after for Corinthians. The match went to penalties, where Corinthians prevailed 4-1 to advance to the final before losing to Internacional. Fast forward a half-century, and the ‘Invasão Corintiana’ is recognized by the Guinness Book of Records described as the biggest human displacement in peace time, with 70,000 Corinthians supporters packing the Maracanã full to its brim.

“I remember on Saturday morning, the day before the game, we were at Ipanema Beach, we were staying at the Hotel Nacional Rio in São Conrado,” Pintinho said. I remember seeing the entire riverbank filled with lines of buses carrying Corinthians fans…they invaded Rio de Janeiro. I remember thinking ‘these fans are tremendous.’ I got the chance to score a beautiful, distinguished goal, but we ended up missing out on a spot in the final. It was two years in a row of losing at home in the semifinal, having been eliminated by Internacional in the Maracanã in 1975. We had a team that was a complete machine, but we couldn’t get that title. To this day, my colleagues and I stay in touch and talk about it.”

His stellar displays at the club level earned the attention of the Brazilian national team, who gave him his international debut in the CONMEBOL qualifying rounds for the 1978 World Cup. But just when he looked set to be included in the final World Cup roster, he was discarded at the 11th hour. Pintinho was irate and nearly refused to be called up to the 1979 Copa América, only to be forced to attend by the Brazilian football authorities, eventually making his final appearance in a semifinal defeat to Paraguay.

He won nine trophies during his time at Fluminense and established himself as an indispensable figure in the ‘Máquina Tricolor’ before eventually heading to Vasco da Gama, where he spent just a few months and won the Troféu Colombino before deciding to leave Rio de Janeiro for the first time ever and start a new journey in Sevilla. Having emerged as Fluminense’s midfield enforcer, Pintinho evolved into Sevilla’s No. 10, going from 23 goals in 381 appearances to 25 goals in 102 appearances.

After one of the club’s presidential candidates convinced manager Manolo Cardo to force him out, Pintinho returned to Fluminense for six months before heading back to Andalusia and joining Cádiz, followed by a move to Portuguese side Farense. But even when he was playing at Cádiz and Farense, he’d still drive back to Sevilla on the weekend.

Apart from a brief coaching spell in Murcia, Pintinho has spent the entirety of his post-playing career in “The Frying Pan of Europe” since hanging up his boots in 1987. He’s worked a number of different jobs, opening a footballing school in Sevilla, and operating a a football clothing store until retiring in 2020. His most important role, however was that of a father, with two sons Pablo and Carlinhos.

While Pintinho has built a legacy in Sevilla, he still finds the time to head back to Rio de Janeiro twice a year and see his father, siblings, and cousins, and other family members. As he prepares to return to the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ for the holidays, Urban Pitch got the chance to catch up with Pintinho about his legendary career.

Urban Pitch: A lot of Brazilian youngsters struggle with dealing with instant stardom and keeping their head down, and not going out and partying in night clubs. Did you ever have any issues with that?

Carlos Alberto Pintinho: I started playing for Fluminense’s first team at 17…it’s Rio de Janeiro, so yes, I went out, but I also lived in a very carefully monitored Fluminense residency. We trained in the morning and afternoon, and I studied in the evening in a riverside neighborhood in Largo do Machado, and then, off we went to rest. There was a person who was responsible for looking out of us, most of whom were young and from out of town. Back then it was very controlled.

You were 9 when Brazil’s democratically elected president was overthrown in a coup d’état, followed by 21 years of military dictatorship. Did you ever struggle under the dictatorship?

I had the privilege of playing at an early age, so my life was always very peaceful and wonderful, and without any problems. I really don’t remember the dictatorship at all. Now I can go back a little and think about what happened before, but I didn’t have an upbringing or education that focused on this.

Do you still play football?

No, I haven’t for quite a few years. I never missed a single match with injury, I played every single game for Fluminense, Vasco da Gama, Sevilla, Cádiz and Farense. It was a huge sacrifice playing every single game, and then when I was about 53, I injured my hip whilst playing five-a-side ‘fulbito.’ I underwent hip surgery and haven’t played since. I’m retired now, and I have to make the most of my last days.

Lastly, who are the five greatest Brazilian players of all time?

You’re making it very easy for me. Pelé is the best Brazilian player of all time, and the rest come later…that way I don’t complicate things. I have players in Brazil who tell me, “I really liked the way your Máquina Tricolor team played alongside players like Paulo Cêzar Lima and Rivellino.’ I had to face some of the best players of my time, but I’ll put Pelé No. 1 and the rest after.