Brito, the former defender who was a starter for the Brazil national team and won the 1970 World Cup, passed away last Thursday night at the age of 86. The former player had been hospitalized since May 14 in a hospital on Ilha do Governador, Rio de Janeiro, due to pneumonia. The news of his death was confirmed by his family through a post on Instagram. A key player in Brazil’s three-time World Cup campaign, Brito started in all the matches of the tournament and was known for his impressive physical strength and endurance, having been considered the player with the best physical preparation of the competition. Throughout his career, he earned 61 caps for the Brazilian national team. Sport Club Internacional expressed deep sorrow over Brito’s passing, the starting defender for Brazil in their 1970 Tri championship, and who played for the Clube do Povo between 1958 and 1959. We wish strength to his friends and family and stand in solidarity with Brazilian football in this… pic.twitter.com/b1wcq Jfb R4 Brito’s career began at Vasco da Gama, his beloved club, where he played for over a decade and made more than 400 appearances. In 1969, he transferred to rival Flamengo, the club he represented when he was called up for the 1970 World Cup. After winning the world title, he moved to Cruzeiro later that same year. The defender also represented other renowned clubs in Brazilian football, such as Internacional, Corinthians, and Athletico Paranaense, in addition to Democrata-GV and River-PI.
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