Zico

An extraordinary and unique player, Zico is, after Pelé, the greatest number 10 in the history of Brazilian football. An artist who appeared fragile but was in reality immensely creative, influential, and technically dominant, he was, like Maradona and Platini, far more than a traditional South American playmaker. Zico was indeed an attacking midfielder, but also a second striker or even a forward, as his remarkable numbers clearly show. He was both a prolific assist provider and a goalscorer, something like a South American version of Platini, if you allow the comparison. A player of rare elegance, technically complete, with an exquisite first touch, unselfish, exceptional in both short and long passing, and equipped with a powerful and accurate shot, he was also a master of free kicks and an outstanding penalty taker. Despite his slender build, he was even very effective in the air. He was the symbol of Flamengo between the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1983 he moved to Italy, joining Udinese, certainly not a title contender, and transformed both its perception and its level. In his first season in a highly competitive and defensively structured Serie A, he scored an astonishing 19 goals, an incredible tally for the time, while his second season was heavily affected by injuries, which eventually led him to return to Brazil.