Arthur Antunes Coimbra (, born 3 March 1953), better known as Zico, is a Brazilian football coach and former player who played as an attacking midfielder.
Often called the "White Pelé", he was a creative playmaker, with excellent technical skills, vision and an eye for goal, who is considered one of the most clinical finishers and best passers ever, as well as one of the greatest players of all time.
Born in 1953, Zico came from a lower-middle-class family of Portuguese origin, in the neighbourhood of Quintino Bocaiúva, Rio de Janeiro.
In common with many young Brazilians, he spent much of his youth dreaming of being a professional footballer and skipped school to play football on the streets.
His passion for the sport made him famous in the neighbourhood, where people would gather to see the boy's brilliant performances against older children and teenagers.
At that time he was playing for Juventude, a local futsal street team run by his older brothers and friends, and had also begun to play for futsal club River Futebol Clube on Sundays.
His nickname originated in Zico's own family from increasingly shortened versions of Arthurzinho ("Little Arthur") which then became Arthurzico, then Tuzico and, finally, Zico, a version created by his cousin Ermelinda "Linda" Rolim.
1967
In 1967, at 14 years old, he had a scheduled trial at América, where his brothers Antunes and Edu were professional players.
But on a Sunday, during a River match, Zico scored nine goals and caught the attention of radio reporter Celso Garcia, who asked Zico's father to take him to a trial at Flamengo instead.
Being a Flamengo fan, Zico had his father's approval, and so began his path towards becoming one of the most admired players in the history of the sport.
Zico was not physically strong, and his story of determination and discipline began with a tough muscle and body development program conducted by physical education teacher José Roberto Francalacci.
A combination of hard work and also a special diet sponsored by his team enabled Zico to develop a strong body and become an athlete; this later proved to be essential for his success.
1970
Arguably the world's best player of the late 1970s and early 80s, he is regarded as one of the best playmakers and free kick specialists in history, able to bend the ball in all directions.
By one estimate, Zico is the player that scored the most goals from direct free kicks, with 101 goals.
1971
During 1971 and 1972, he shifted from youth to professional team and back.
Coach Fleitas Solich had confidence in Zico's abilities and promoted him, on the other hand the situation changed when the Paraguayan coach left and Zagallo took over.
He believed Zico to be too young and sent him back to the youth team.
Things only improved for Zico when Joubert, his first coach at the youth team, was appointed the new coach for the seniors and fully promoted him after 116 matches and 81 goals in the youth team.
While at Flamengo, Zico was a key player during the most glorious period of the team's history.
1978
He represented Brazil in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups.
1981
He was chosen as the 1981 and 1983 Player of the Year.
With 48 goals in 71 official appearances for Brazil, Zico is the fifth highest goalscorer for his national team.
Along with many other titles, in his first period at Flamengo he led the team to victory in the 1981 Copa Libertadores, the 1981 Intercontinental Cup and four national titles (1980, 1982, 1983 and 1987).
On the field, Zico made goals in all imaginable ways, was also a great assister and team organiser and was known for his excellent vision of the field.
He was a two-footed player and an expert at free kicks.
After receiving offers from A.S. Roma and A.C. Milan, moving to Italy seemed right and a four-million dollar proposal from Udinese was on the table.
Such an amount of money made bigger clubs pressure the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) that blocked the transfer expecting financial guarantees.
This caused a commotion in Udine as enraged Friulians flocked to the streets in protest against the Italian federation and the federal government.
Historical reasons would make them shout "O Zico, o Austria!" ("Either Zico or Austria").
At the end of the controversy, the deal went through and though leaving Flamengo fans in sadness, Zico made the Friulians fans finally dream of better days.
1982
They did not win any of those tournaments, even though the 1982 squad is considered one of the greatest Brazilian national squads ever.
He is widely regarded as the greatest Brazilian never to win the World Cup.
Despite his excellent performance, the club's season ended in disappointment as Udinese, in spite of scoring almost twice as many goals as the previous year, only gathered 32 points and was ninth in the final standing, losing three places in comparison to 1982–83.
1983
In the 1983–84 Serie A, his first in Italy, his partnership with Franco Causio promised to take Udinese to a higher level, gaining respect from giants Juventus and Roma.
His free kicks caused such an impact that TV sports programs would debate how to stop them.
1999
In 1999, Zico came seventh in the FIFA Player of the Century grand jury vote, and in 2004 was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
As stated by Pelé himself, considered one of the greatest players of all time, "throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico".
2006
Zico has coached the Japan national team, appearing in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and winning the 2004 Asian Cup, and Fenerbahçe, who were a quarter-finalist in 2007–08 in the Champions League under his command.
He has also coached CSKA Moscow, Olympiacos, and the Iraq national team.
He works as technical director at Kashima Antlers.
