Leônidas da Selva

Leônidas da Selva
Personal information
Full name Manoel Pereira
Date of birth (1927-01-03)January 3, 1927
Place of birth Biguaçu, Brazil
Date of death 23 April 1985(1985-04-23) (aged 58)
Place of death Matinhos, Brazil
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1939–1940 Flamengo-SC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1941–1943 Lauro Müller
1944–1946 Palestra Itália-PR
1946–1951 Avaí
1952–1959 America-RJ
International career
1956 Brazil 6 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 September 2023

Manoel Pereira (3 January 1927 – 23 April 1985), mostly known by the nickname Leônidas da Selva, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward.

Nickname origin

Manoel earned the nickname "Leônidas da Selva" from journalist Sandro Moreira, a joke on the player's physical resemblance to Leônidas da Silva, but having a totally ferocious style of play on the field (in Portuguese, "Selva" means jungle).

Career

Started his career in Santa Catarina, played for Flamengo de Estreito and Lauro Müller. After, played for Palestra Itália de Curitiba and Avaí FC. In 1952, arrived at America, a club with which he had national recognition which earned him six call ups for the Brazil national team in 1956.[1]

He scored an unusual goal on an America trip to Turkey, where he scored with his heel, supporting his body weight on his hands.[2]

Honours

Brazil

America

References

  1. ^ "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 1953-1956". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Leônidas da Selva e o gol de 'bananeira-calcanhar'". Edição Norte (in Portuguese). 16 February 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2023.