Walter Casagrande

Football player infobox
playername = Casagrande
fullname = Wálter Casagrande Júnior
nickname = "Casão"
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|df=yes|1963|4|15
cityofbirth = São Paulo
countryofbirth = Brazil
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
position = Forward
youthyears =
youthclubs = Corinthians
years = 1980-1981
1981
1982-1984
1984
1985-1986
1986-1987
1987-1991
1991-1993
1993
1994-1995
1995
1996
clubs = Corinthians
Caldense
Corinthians
São Paulo
Corinthians
FC Porto
Ascoli
Torino F.C.
Flamengo
Corinthians
Paulista F.C.
São Francisco
caps(goals) =


23 (11)


96 (38)
47 (10)
35 (7)



nationalyears = 1985-1986
nationalteam = Brazil
nationalcaps(goals) = 19 (9)

Wálter Casagrande Júnior, usually known as "Casagrande" (born 15 April 1963 in São Paulo) was a former football (soccer) player in striker role, who currently is a famous TV commentator for Rede Globo.

During his career from 1980 to 1996, Casagrande has played for a number of clubs. He has represented Corinthians, Caldense, São Paulo, Flamengo, Paulista F.C., Portuguese club FC Porto (with whom he won a European Cup in 1987) and Italian clubs Ascoli and Torino F.C., winning the Coppa Italia in 1993. He won also two São Paulo State Championships, in 1982 and 1983. In 1993, he was Supercopa Sudamericana runner-up with Flamengo, losing in a penalty shootout to another Brazilian team, São Paulo FC. He played 256 games and scored 102 goals for Corinthians. In this club, alongside Sócrates, has formed one of the greatests strikers partnerships from Brazilian football.

For the Brazil national football team he played in 19 matches, April 1985 to June 1986, scoring nine goals. He played in three games during the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

In September 2007, Casagrande was involved in a weekend traffic accident, and was briefly in a coma after his car rolled and hit parked cars. He was subsequently able to leave the intensive care unit and was breathing on his own.

After the crash he described how he had become addicted to cocaine since retiring, and that he had been undergoing drug treatment for the past seven months (since September 2007). In an interview with Radio Jovem Pan, Casagrande said he has been in a private drug-treatment clinic in São Paulo since last September. "When I retired, I felt a sensation of emptiness. I missed the adrenaline of the matches and practices and that led me to the compulsive use of drugs," Casagrande said, adding that he became "addicted to cocaine and sometimes also used heroin."Casagrande, who played for Brazil at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, said he overdosed four times from 2005-07 and once almost went into a coma after using drugs. He is finishing in April 2008 his treatment.

Honours

Club

* Campeonato Paulista; 1982,1983
* European Cup; 1986/1987
* Coppa Italia; 1992/1993
* Supercopa Sudamericana; 1993 runner-up

Achievements

*Campeonato Paulista's top scorer: 1982 with 28 goals.