Didi (footballer, born 1928)

Waldyr Pereira, universally known as Didi, was born into poverty on 8 October 1928 in Campos dos Goytacazes, about 150 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. As a child, he sold peanuts to support his family and played football in the streets. At age 14, a severe knee infection nearly led to the amputation of his right leg, but he recovered and played for local clubs in his hometown.

Didi turned professional with Madureira and gained attention after joining Fluminense in 1949. He spent seven uninterrupted seasons there, playing 298 matches and scoring 91 goals. He was key to winning the 1951 Carioca Championship and, on 16 June 1950, scored the first goal ever at the Maracanã Stadium while representing a Rio de Janeiro youth state team. He also led Brazil to its first major international title, the 1952 Panamerican Championship in Chile, alongside teammates like Djalma Santos and Telê Santana. At the 1954 World Cup, he scored against Mexico and Yugoslavia before Brazil lost to Hungary in the violent "Battle of Berne," in which Didi was involved in the brawl.

Moving to Botafogo, he won the 1957 Carioca Championship. After the victory, he fulfilled a promise to walk from Maracanã to his home in Laranjeiras (9.4 km) in his kit, joined by 5,000 fans. His finest moment came at the 1958 World Cup, where he was named player of the tournament and orchestrated Brazil’s first of two World Cup wins. In 68 international appearances, he scored 20 goals, a dozen via his trademark folha seca free-kicks—a technique where the ball swerves downward unexpectedly, later used by Juninho and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In 1959, Didi signed with Real Madrid, playing alongside Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano, and Francisco Gento. He played only 19 matches, scoring six goals, and clashed with Di Stéfano over fan attention, which hastened his departure. Still, he won the 1959–60 European Cup, becoming the first player to win both the World Cup and the European Cup. He returned to Botafogo in the early 1960s, joining a squad that included Garrincha, Nilton Santos, and Zagallo. Botafogo was then the only Brazilian club able to compete with Pelé’s Santos. Didi played 313 matches for Botafogo, scoring 114 goals, and won the Carioca Championship in 1957, 1961, and 1962, plus the 1962 Rio-São Paulo Tournament, the 1962 Pentagonal of Mexico, and the 1963 Paris Tournament.

He moved to Sporting Cristal