Cinesinho arrived at Juventus during a tumultuous summer in 1965, marked by a frenetic transfer market full of surprises. The closed borders dramatically increased the price of the few top players available, triggering a fierce competition among clubs of all sizes. While Juventus managed to secure Cinesinho amidst strong interest, stars like Altafini and Sivori departed for Napoli, where they were offered golden opportunities.
Sivori`s departure marked the end of an era, although his separation from Juventus had been anticipated for a couple of years. Cinesinho was tasked with filling the void left by “El Cabezón” and wearing the iconic number ten shirt – a daunting responsibility, as anyone could see. But Cinesinho, already thirty, possessed immense wisdom. He quickly grasped the club`s expectations and embraced the challenge without hesitation.
Under coach Heriberto, the mandate was clear: run and run some more. While the effectiveness of his “movimiento” system might have been debated, it offered few alternatives and numerous advantages. Of course, its major drawback was the grueling weekly workload it demanded from players who then had to perform on Sundays, all under Heriberto`s watchful and often merciless eye. Yet, the fatigue was offset by the results. Even before the league began, hope surged among Juventus fans: the Coppa Italia final, played on a warm Roman night, saw Juventus decisively defeat the European and world champions, Inter. This match also served as Cinesinho`s first successful introduction to the Juventus style of play.
The team`s mechanism wasn`t initially perfect, and it was unrealistic to expect Cinesinho to immediately connect seamlessly with his teammates. There would be time to fine-tune the links between departments and perfect the specific tasks Heriberto wanted the Brazilian to perform. The upcoming season was merely an important step towards reclaiming the Scudetto for Juventus; no immediate miracles were demanded, which significantly contributed to a calm environment.
He had a tendency to gain weight, but under Heriberto, that was impossible. From the very first day of training, the demanding coach would prod him with his feet, gently bounce on his stomach, then make him lie down and lift him with both hands, sifting him like farmers sift grain. Cinesinho`s first season with Juventus was positive, exceeding even the most optimistic forecasts. His sheer willpower more than compensated for any perceived lack of elite natural talent, allowing him to compete confidently with the league`s most renowned playmakers. The team immediately benefited, climbing high in the standings thanks to an incredible run of twelve consecutive undefeated matches.
Cinesinho led the team with exemplary tactical discipline and occasionally emerged as a finisher, winning over the fans in Turin and beyond. Against Milan at San Siro, where Juventus eventually succumbed late in the game, it was his goal that gave Juventus the initial lead. Milan`s comeback was partly facilitated by a bad muscle tear suffered by Cinesinho, an injury that kept him out for two rounds. His record of thirty-one appearances and four goals, three of which came in the final matches, was more than respectable, ensuring he retained the number ten shirt for the following year.
Cinesinho was now firmly established as a talented playmaker. His game was devoid of errors, marked by fluidity and superb dynamism. On the first matchday in Bergamo, everyone recognized how crucial a reference point like him was to the team`s play. He directed the flow and often capped it with precise passes to the forwards. Atalanta were beaten twice, and Cinesinho was involved each time – once as the provider, the other as a cool finisher. The rest of the season followed a remarkably consistent pattern, always at high levels of excellence. While the results weren`t always accompanied by spectacular football, patience was necessary; collective effort sometimes required sacrificing individual flair for the good of the outcome.
Cinesinho occasionally produced moments of brilliance, such as in Florence on the third matchday, a 2-1 win sealed by Depaoli`s late strike, brilliantly orchestrated by the Brazilian who was in inspired form. Or in Naples, on a muddy pitch against a surging Napoli side, where he fought like a warrior, notably setting up Favalli`s winning counter-attack. His entire season, however, was memorable for his valuable contributions and tireless commitment. He made thirty-one appearances again, the last coinciding with the Scudetto-winning victory over Lazio. His second year with Juventus fully confirmed the success of his first, adding further accolades to his record. Heriberto was rightly proud of this resilient player in his thirties who ran like a youngster and brought common sense to the team`s game.
He once said: “A midfielder must leave his nerves at home, in the table drawer. A nervous midfielder is useless to the team; he cannot think.”
He emerged from a golden age of football, with radio commentators wildly excited by the unparalleled feats of Pelé or Garrincha. Cinesinho considered only those two greater than the rest. In truth, Cinesinho distinguished himself with his scientific approach to kicking the ball. From set pieces, his deliveries bewildered opposing defenses and set up victorious opportunities for the clever Depaoli or the creative Zigoni.
Cinesinho appeared slow but was actually incredibly fast and mesmerizingly dribbled. “I possess a champion`s reflex. My reflex is the time it takes to direct the ball. Like Pelé and Garrincha, my reflex is very fast. My unmarked teammate receives the ball immediately.”
Time flies. The summer was quiet for Juventus, despite fans clamoring for decisive signings to face the European Cup adequately prepared. Players like Volpi and Simoni weren`t exactly headline-grabbing arrivals, and it was clear Heriberto would have to rely on the same squad that had wrested the Scudetto from Inter. The season started well, with a clear victory over the Greeks of Piraeus in Europe, boosting Juventus` confidence for the league. The standings were solid, though not always at the very top. The Brazilian, in particular, seemed to have further improved his passing game; balls laden with wisdom flowed from his foot, even if the direct, vertical play favored by Heriberto sometimes clashed with Cinesinho`s preference for lateral passing.
The public, while still appreciating Cinesinho`s perpetual hard work, began to question if there wasn`t a more direct and spectacular way to win, perhaps by attacking more decisively. As opportunities arose following slips in the standings, dissatisfaction started to surface. Some speculated that, at thirty-three, Cinesinho might be physically declining, and this polemic was even supported by the Brazilian`s frequent injuries that forced him to miss important matches. Fortunately, the team surged in the final part of the season, and Cinesinho himself was the protagonist of the most prestigious feat of the campaign: the victory at the San Paolo against Napoli, who would finish second behind champions Milan.
March 31, 1968: Waiting for Benfica in the European Cup semifinals, Juventus faced a tough match against Napoli. The first half was intense, with Juliano and Altafini attacking relentlessly but failing to breach the strong Juventus defense, bolstered by the midfielders and Cinesinho in particular. Then, suddenly, at the start of the second half, Juventus powerfully emerged, as if awakened from a long, sleepy wait. Depaoli beat Zoff, silencing the stadium. For a moment, Napoli tried to unleash their attack, but there was no getting through the midfield; it was Juventus now dominating the game. And they sealed the win with a goal that seemed almost diabolical. It was Cinesinho himself who scored it, with an utterly unpredictable strike from near the corner flag that deceived Zoff and the defenders guarding the post. Captain Juliano`s goal in the dying moments was insufficient; it finished 2-1 to Juventus.
These were flashes of brilliance, certainly, but not isolated ones, considering that in his twenty-three appearances that season, Cinesinho`s decisive touch proved crucial on two other occasions. The season ended, the future was full of prospects, and Juventus didn`t want to be left out of the major transfer movements. Anastasi, Haller, Benetti, and other fresh talents arrived. And, among others, Cinesinho departed, heading for the Veneto province, Vicenza in particular, a place known for extending football careers.
He came from a fabulous era of football, with radio commentators swept into euphoria by the unmatched brilliance of Pelé or Garrincha. Cinesinho believed only those two were greater than the rest. In reality, Cinesinho distinguished himself through his scientific approach to kicking the ball. From set pieces, his deliveries confused opposing defenses and allowed clever positioning for the cunning Depaoli or the creative Zigoni.
Cinesinho seemed slow but was actually lightning fast and intoxicatingly skillful. “I possess a champion`s reflex. My reflex is the time it takes to direct the ball. I, like Pelé and Garrincha, have a very fast reflex. My unmarked teammate receives the ball immediately.”
He was a gentle, kind, sympathetic player. His many virtues revolved around a ball possession that allowed him to impart original trajectories to the game. This was evident throughout the Scudetto-winning season, from the first breath to the last. He explained Heriberto`s phenomenon in a letter to his compatriot Djalma Santos, considered previously unpublished. He saw it as a document of humanity, ancient rather than rare, reflecting a sporting era where, after the grandeur and excesses of Sivori, Juventus had restored its illustrious reputation. This small, dark-skinned ace with curly hair and kind, naive eyes wrote to Djalma: “The coach immediately made me understand that at thirty, my age when I first wore the black and white shirt, you are still young, provided you train like he wants you to all year. I obeyed. And I saw the results right away. That`s not all. You train and sacrifice too, but our football, that of Juve, is a special football, where all of us give everything, we run, we play as attackers and defenders, we score goals, we save the goalkeeper, according to a diagram which I can`t describe here in writing, but which I will show you when I come to São Paulo. It`s a kind of equal distribution of all forces on the field. So we all help each other for ninety minutes, and in the end, we are less tired than you think. You`ll laugh, but I feel younger today than when I was at Modena or Catania or even Palmeiras.”
That Juventus team was a masterpiece of football. A team of pioneers, strengthened by a system that granted youthfulness, and allowed the mild and seemingly frail Cinesinho to act as the playmaker, imparting original and musical trajectories to the ball. That Juventus, above all else, was a breath of fresh air for Italian football.
He was a clever and elegant player, a meter-runner driven by quick thought. His sudden passes were never vulgar blasts, but rather brilliant and lightning-fast invitations caressed with his precise feet. Everything about him was small and graceful, so miniature as to appear great. Even the two little black pinpricks of his eyes, with which he looked around smiling, lent his dark, weathered face an air of uncommon charm. And even tenderness. It`s needless to say that, with the ball at his feet, he belonged to the breed of thoroughbreds who made football glorious.