Moacyr Barbosa

Moacir Barbosa Nascimento also often Moacyr Barbosa (* 27 March 1921 in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; † 8 April 2000 in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil) was a Brazilian football (soccer) goalkeeper. He remains most closely associated to the defeat of the Brazilian national football team in the decisive match of the World Cup 1950 against Uruguay.

Moacyr Barbosa, who was blamed for the defeat and especially Ghiggia's goal was to suffer for a long time in the aftermath of this match which became as Maracanaço part of Brazilian folklore. Life became a torture for him. In 2000, shortly before his death, he said in an interview: "The maximum punishment in Brazil is 30 years imprisonment, but I have been paying, for something I am not even responsible for, by now for 50 years."

Some Brazilians despised him for the rest of his days. Notably, the President of the Brazilian Football Association, who in 1993 would not allow him to commentate a broadcast of an international Brazil match. [ [http://www.sambafoot.com/en/articles/30_Maracana_the_largest_stadium_of_the_world_page_2.html Maracanã, the largest stadium of the world] - Sambafoot.com]

In 1963 Barbosa was given the old square goal posts from the Maracanã as a present.

He was one of the world's best goalkeepers in the 1940s and 1950s and known for not wearing gloves because he wanted to feel the ball with his bare hands.

uccess with Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro

On the club level he had his greatest successes with CR Vasco da Gama, one of the top sides of Rio de Janeiro. He won several important trophies with this side, including in 1948 the Campeonato Sul-Americano de Campeões, the initial precursor to the Copa Libertadores.

Copa America 1949

With the national side he won the Copa America of 1949. The 7-0 win over Paraguay remains to date the highest victory in a final of this competition.

Clubs

*1940–1941: ADCI-SP
*1942–1944: Ypiranga-SP
*1945–1955: Vasco da Gama-RJ
*1955–1956: Santa Cruz-PE
*1957: Bonsuccesso-RJ
*1958–1960: Santa Cruz-PE
*1962: Campo Grande-RJ

Honors

With Brasil:
*Copa América: 1949

Club Level:
*Campeonato Sul-Americano de Campeões: 1948
*Torneio Rio-São Paulo: 1958
*Campeonato Carioca: 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1958

Inofficial Tournaments

With Brasil:
*Copa Roca (inoff.)¹: 1945
*Copa Rio Branco (inoff.)²: 1947, 1950

¹) irregular friendly tournament between Brazil and Argentina
²) irregular friendly tournament between Brazil and Uruguay

Club Level:
*Torneio Quadrangular do Rio (inoff.)¹: 1953
*Torneio Internacional de Santiago de Chile (inoff.)²: 1953

¹) with CR Vasco da Gama, CR Flamengo (both R.d Janeiro), CA Boca Juniors and. Racing Club (both Argentina)
²) with CR Vasco da Gama, Millonarios (Bogotá) and CSD Colo-Colo (Santiago)

In Popular Culture

Barbosa plays a large role in Ian McDonald's science fiction novel Brasyl.

References & Links

* [http://www.elmundo.es/2000/04/09/opinion/9N0030.html El Mundo (Spain)] - Obituary
* [http://www.ofutebol.com/excerpt.shtml Excerpt on the 1950 World Cup] from "Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life"

Books

* Darwin Pastorin, "L'ultima parata di Moacyr Barbosa" ("The Last Save of Moacyr Barbosa") Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 2005 (Published in Italy) [http://www.internetbookshop.it/ser/serdsp.asp?shop=707&isbn=8804525118]
*Alex Bellos, "Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life", Bloomsbury, 2002 [http://www.ofutebol.com]