Didi

Valdir Pereira, nicknamed Didi, was born on October 8, 1928 in Rio de Janeiro. He was a Brazilian football midfield player who played in the World Cups of 1954, 1958 and 1962. When he was 14, he nearly had his right leg amputated due to a severe infection. He recovered and played for Industrial, Rio Branco-RJ, Americano de Campos, Lençoense and Madureira. He came to prominence when he joined Fluminense in 1949. During seven seasons with the club he won the Campeonato carioca in 1951 and Copa de Rio in 1952. He became famous for being an intelligent player and for his "folha seca" ("falling leaf") free kicks, where the ball would swerve seemingly downwards at the right time resulting in a goal.

At club level, Didi moved to Botafogo, winning the Campeonato Carioca in 1957. At the 1958 World Cup where he was named player of the tournament. After the 1958 World Cup he signed to Real Madrid of Spain and helped to secure the league title in 1959. Later, he returned to Botafogo winning two more Carioca championships. After success at the 1962 World Cup, he played a few months with São Cristóvão and ended his playing career for São Paulo in 1963, at 34 years old. In October 2000, he was inducted into the FIFA Hall of Champions. He died in 2001 in Rio de Janeiro from complications arising from cancer.