It has been thirty years since one of—arguably the—greatest Udinese players first signed for the Friulano club.
A player that was more influential than Antonio Di Natale, better than Oliver Bierfhoff, and sold more shirts than Dino Zoff.
A player who equally challenged opponents like Michel Platini and Diego Maradona, was a key member of what is regarded as the greatest national team of all time, and came in third place for the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS)’s best Brazilian Player of the 20th Century poll.
A player, who only needs to go by one name: Zico.
More formally known as, Arthur Antunes Coimbra, Zico was a Brazilian attacking midfielder who played with the Zebrette just prior to the Pozzo Family Reign. Dubbed the “Golden Age” of the Friulano club, Zico only played for Udinese for two seasons, from 1983 – 1985—the Pozzo Dynasty began in 1986—however, he single-handedly changed the landscape of Furlan soccer.
Unlike most modern era Udinese signings, Zico arrived in Udine as an already established name, having played over 200 games for the Brazilian side Flamengo and as a member of one of the best national teams in history.
The signing of Zico in the summer of 1983 remains the biggest in Udinese history, both for the transfer and for the notoriety that followed.
Zico began to make headlines even before arriving in Udine, as debate over his transfer costs and legality of the transfer came into question. However, the legal battle over the midfielder also brought hype, and when the transfer finally went through and the Brazilian officially signed, the club saw a rush of 26,611 new season tickets purchased over the summer—the largest amount of new season ticket ever witnessed.
And for the first season (1983 – 1984), Zico delivered exactly what he had promised. He was flamboyant, fun, and fan-friendly, taking to his new Furlan home almost immediately.
He scored goals from free kicks, penalty kicks, and during run of play. He celebrated with him team and fans alike. Zico truly took to being a Zebrette and everyone loved him for it.
His first game played saw a 5 – 0 win over Genoa, with Zico scoring two goals himself. The rest of the season continued with Zico zeal, as he scored 19 goals in 24 matches, earning him the runner up spot for top Serie A goal scorer that season, only second to Juventus’ Platini.
However, late into the season, Zico suffered an injury and was forced to miss a month’s worth of games. Without their leading goal scorer and team beacon, Udinese was not able to finish the season as well as they started.
The following year, 1984 – 1985, also saw an injured Zico who only played in 15 matches, scoring just three goals. To add to that, he was briefly suspended after a confrontation with a referee during a match. Udinese finished 11th overall and the Little Zebras seemed to have worn out their horseshoes.
To make matters worse, Zico also was having legal problems in Italy; he was charged with tax evasion, which allegedly included a hefty fine and jail time. Instead of serving his sentence, Zico decided to leave Italy—and his Udine club and fans—and return to Brazil and his beloved Flamengo (1985 – 1989) before finishing his club career, after a brief retirement, at Kashima Antlers (1991 – 1994).
Post Udinese, he continued to play for the Brazilian national team—hailed the greatest team of all time—and even played in, and won, the 1995 Beach Soccer World Cup. He then coached a number of teams, including Kashima Antlers (1999), CFZ (Zico Football Centre in Rio de Janeiro, a club he founded himself, 2000 – 2002), Japan (2002 – 2006), Fenerbahçe (2006 – 2008), Bunyodkor (2008), CSKA Moscow (2009), Olympiacos (2009 – 2010), Iraq (2011 – 2012), and Al-Gharafa (2013 – present). Additionally, he also opened his own soccer academy which he still currently runs
Zico has had a unique and extraordinary career, but no team has held him in the same regard as Udinese fans.
Despite Zico’s very brief and slightly troubled affair with the Friulani, he still remains a favourite with the Bianconeri faithful. Udinese, the club and the fans, will always admire Zico as the player that came to them to put the team on the radar as a world class soccer team.
In 1988, he appealed his tax eviction conviction to the Trieste Court and was acquitted. As a thank you to the Italian province that still hailed him their hero, he played his “farewell match” with the Brazilin national team at the Stadio Friuli in 1989.
To this day, Udinese fans still fly Zico banners along with their contemporary ones, as a tribute to the most beloved Little Zebra.
All of Zico’s goals for the Zebrette can be found in this YouTube video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRUYn0iICsQ[/youtube]
Best goals include:
- Against Avellino (1:15 minute mark)
- Against Milan (2:05 minute mark)
- Against Lazio (3:34 minute mark)
Follow Sonja Missio on Twitter: @sonjamissio
