Athletico 100 years: Valdir, from the sugarcane field to the national team

Before being discovered as a player, Valdir Benedito He was a sugarcane cutter in the Araraquara region. An activity that requires effort and technique, not by chance, the two main characteristics of the midfielder who marked his time with the red and black shirt. From Ferroviária in his hometown, Valdir came to play for Platinense, the “black wing” of Athletico in the eighties state championships.

Valdir arrived to play in the 1989 Brazilian championship, in which Athletico ended up relegated. Not because of Valdir’s lack of fighting. For younger people, he was a relentless scorer with never-ending breath. The following year, Valdir was instrumental in winning the 1990 Paraná championship, often playing as a right back and in the campaign to gain access to the first division in 1990.

His great phase saw him called up by coach Paulo Roberto Falcão for the Brazilian team in May 1991 for a match against Bulgaria, in Uberlândia. Valdir was part of the renewal of the selection that brought new faces that would shine in the future such as Cafu, Márcio Santos and Mauro Silva. He was called up again for Brazil’s game against Argentina, in Curitiba, a match that marked that decade and led to controversial works at Pinheirão.

On the field, Valdir represented the Atletico fans and almost scored a goal wearing the Canarinho shirt. Interestingly, the midfielder never scored with a CAP shirt, but throughout his career, he scored many goals from free kicks for other clubs.

Valdir continued with the selection for Copa América and when he returned he was welcomed with a party in Pinheirão complete with an ox on a roller for the people. Valdir was sold in 1991 and only returned to Athletico in 2001 to become champion of Paraná that year, but unfortunately he left before winning the Brasileirão with Furacão.