Toninho Cerezo
Antônio Carlos Cerezo (born 21 April 1955), known as Toninho Cerezo (Brazilian Portuguese::), is a Brazilian former footballer.
Cerezo is commonly regarded as one of the finest Brazilian defensive midfielders of all time, most notably having played for his hometown's team Atlético Mineiro; he also played for several other clubs in both Brazil and Italy throughout his career. At international level, Cerezo took part at the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cups –:winning a bronze medal in the former edition of the tournament – and the 1979 Copa América, where Brazil finished in third place.
Contents
- 1 Club career
- 2 International career
- 3 Style of play
- 4 Personal life
- 5 Career statistics
- 5.1 Club
- 5.2 International
- 6 Managerial statistics
- 7 Honours
- 7.1 Player
- 7.1.1 Club
- 7.1.2 Individual
- 7.2 Manager
- 7.2.1 Club
- 7.1 Player
- 8 References
- 9 External links
Club career
Throughout his career, Cerezo played as a defensive midfielder with Atlético Mineiro, Roma, Cruzeiro, Sampdoria, São Paulo and the Brazilian national team.
While playing in Brazil, he won the Bola de Ouro in 1977 and 1980 and the Bola de Prata in 1976.
During his time in Italy, Cerezo won the Coppa Italia four times; in 1991 he won the Serie A with Sampdoria, but lost the Coppa Italia final to A.S. Roma.
With São Paulo he was a two-time winner of the Intercontinental Cup, and also won the Copa Libertadores once. Cerezo was named the best player of the 1993 Intercontinental Cup final.(He scored the second goal and *isted Müller's game-winning goal in a 3–2 victory against A.C. Milan.)
In 1997, he retired as a player, and, after doing some studies and probations in Italy, he returned to Brazil, and start a career as a manager at Vitória, reaching the semifinals of the Brasileirão Série A. He also led *anese powerhouse Kashima Antlers in the J.League for six years. He won five major *les in *an, two league championships, one Emperor's Cup, and two league cups.
After his time in *an, he coached Brazilian clubs Atlético Mineiro, and Guarani, as well as some Asian clubs, such as Al-Hilal, Al-Shabab, Al Ain; he later returned to Brazil once again as head manager of Sport do Recife, leaving the club just one month later.
International career
Cerezo won 57 caps (full international games), between March 1977 and June 1985, with the Brazilian national team, scoring five goals.
He played in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where they finished in third place, and in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where they were eliminated in the second round in a group which contained defending champions and continental rivals Argentina, as well as the eventual champions Italy. He was also due to go to the 1986 tournament, but a hamstring injury in May ruled him out of the upcoming World Cup. He was a member of the Brazilian team that finished in third place at the 1979 Copa América.
At the 1982 FIFA World Cup one of his back p*es was intercepted by Italian striker Paolo Rossi, who went on to score; the match ended in a 2–3 loss to Italy, which also saw Rossi score a hat-trick, and as a result, Brazil were knocked out of the tournament in a dramatic upset. For many years after the event, he was widely criticized for this error by many Brazilian fans and members of the press.
Style of play
A tall and strong midfielder, with a slender frame, Cerezo is regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian defensive midfielders of all time, and was well known for his tireless work-rate, stamina, and tactical awareness, as well as his dynamic, physical, and energetic style of play. Although he was usually deployed in a holding role, Cerezo was also an elegant and highly creative player, who was highly regarded in the media for his technique, vision, ability to understand the game, and p*ing range, which enabled him to orchestrate attacking moves for his team, get forward, and create chances for teammates after winning back possession; as such, he often functioned as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield throughout his career. Although he was mainly a team player, who preferred to *ist other players over scoring himself, he also possessed an accurate shot.
Personal life
Cerezo is Roman Catholic and is father of four children, including fashion model Lea T.
Career statistics
Club
International
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
Club
Nacional- Campeonato Amazonense: 1974
- Campeonato Mineiro: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1977 runner-up, 1980 runner-up
- Coppa Italia: 1984, 1986
- European Cup: 1984 runner-up
- Serie A: 1990–91
- Coppa Italia: 1988, 1989, 1991 runner-up
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1989 runner-up, 1990
- European Cup: 1992 runner-up
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1991
- Campeonato Paulista: 1992
- Intercontinental Cup: 1992, 1993
- Copa Libertadores: 1992, 1993
- Supercopa Sudamericana: 1993
- Recopa Sudamericana: 1993, 1994
Individual
- South American U-20 Championship Top Scorer: 1977
- Bola de Ouro: 1977, 1980
- Bola de Prata: 1976, 1977, 1980
- FIFA XI (Reserve): 1979
- World XI Soccer: 1983
- Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player of the Match Award: 1993
- A.S. Roma Hall of Fame: 2016
Manager
Club
Kashima Antlers- J.League: 2000, 2001
- J.League Cup: 2000, 2002
- Emperor's Cup: 2000
- Suruga Bank Championship: 2013
- UAE Football League: 2008
References
- Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 1 – Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
External links
- Toninho Cerezo – FIFA compe*ion record (archived)
- Toninho Cerezo at National-Football-Teams.com
- Toninho Cerezo at J.League (in *anese)