Ademir, the Vasco great of 301 goals and Brazil’s 1950 top scorer | OneFootball

Ademir Menezes, known as Queixada, was a leading light of Vasco’s Expresso da Vitória, scoring 301 for the club and nine for Brazil at the 1950 World Cup, a national single-tournament record.

"I can speak, as I played in both, a World Cup final and a Vasco versus Flamengo final. Nobody sleeps properly, everyone is thinking about the next day’s game," Ademir told Jornal dos Sports in 1976.

On 9 July 1950 he struck four in Brazil’s 7-1 win over Sweden at the Maracanã, the nation’s biggest World Cup victory. That day every goal came from a Vasco player, with Chico scoring twice and Maneca adding the other.

Born in Recife, he came through at Sport in 1939. In 1942, on tour, he hit three and made one in a 5-4 win over Vasco in Rio, a display that earned his move to São Januário.

Across spells in 1942-45 and 1948-56 he played 429 games and won 15 trophies, including the 1948 South American Champions, the 1953 Torneio Octogonal Rivadávia, four Carioca crowns, Municipal and Relâmpago titles, International Rio and Santiago tournaments, Torneio Início honours and the 1942 Troféu da Paz.

His surging runs helped define the ponta de lança role and forced rivals to adjust. He dominated Rio’s big derbies.

He chose to stop before football stopped him, retiring at 34 in 1957 after returning to Sport, his decision hastened by a foot injury. His last match was a friendly with Bahia at Ilha do Retiro on 10 March 1957.

Source: Globo.com