Gérson: The Golden Left Foot Behind Brazil's Greatest Triumph

The Brazil team that triumphed in the 1970 World Cup is often hailed as one of the most exceptional assemblages of footballing talent ever seen on the international stage. It was a squad brimming with star power, each player capable of altering the course of a match with a moment of individual brilliance. Yet, it was not just the sum of these individual talents that made the team so remarkable; it was the seamless fusion of their abilities into a collective performance that transcended personal glory. Their play was not merely a display of technical mastery, but an exuberant reassertion of *jogo bonito*, a celebration of football that invited all who cherish the beautiful game to believe in its power once again.

At the heart of this team stood Pelé, the undisputed icon, often regarded as the first among equals in a group of extraordinary talents. Yet, alongside him, were other figures who left indelible marks on the tournament. Rivelino, with his cannonball shots, Tostão, whose elegance was matched by an almost brutal grace, and Jairzinho, whose star was on the rise, all contributed to the brilliance of the Seleção. But it was Carlos Alberto, the imperious captain, whose majestic fourth goal in the final against Italy became the defining moment of Brazil’s World Cup triumph, leading his team to glory and immortalizing their place in football history.

However, there was one player whose contribution, though often overshadowed by the more flamboyant stars, was indispensable to the team’s success. Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, known simply as Gérson, may not have garnered the same level of adulation as Pelé or Carlos Alberto, but his role was nothing short of pivotal. Often described as the brain of the team, Gérson was the linchpin around which the team’s fluid attacking play revolved. His vision and composure in midfield allowed him to dictate the tempo of the game, pulling the strings that made the rest of the team dance to the irresistible rhythm of their collective brilliance. While his name may not be the first to come to mind when recalling the 1970 World Cup, Gérson’s influence on the pitch was profound, his quiet genius providing the foundation for Brazil’s most celebrated victory.

The Start of a Football Journey

 Born in the winter of 1941, Gérson de Oliveira Nunes—later to be immortalized by the moniker Canhotinha de Ouro (Golden Left Foot)—seemed destined by the hand of fate to become a footballer. His lineage was steeped in the sport; both his father and uncle were professional players, with his father also being a close confidant of the legendary Zizinho. This pedigree, rich in footballing heritage, would be honoured by Gérson with a career that transcended the ordinary.

As a teenager, Gérson’s rise to prominence was swift and inevitable. He joined Flamengo, where his innate talent was quickly apparent. His ability to transition the ball from defence to attack with a single, incisive pass, to control the tempo of the game with unhurried precision, and to orchestrate play with an almost prophetic sense of timing, set him apart. These gifts—rarely seen even at the highest level—marked him as a player of exceptional vision and intelligence. His capacity to read the game, to probe and prompt with an intuitive understanding of when and how to execute each option, suggested a maturity far beyond his years.

At this early juncture in his career, Gérson’s talent drew inevitable comparisons to Didi, the linchpin of the Brazilian national team at the time. It was the highest of praises and one that placed Gérson in the company of Brazil’s finest. Although he lacked the blistering speed that often defined great players, his footballing intellect embodied the adage that the first five yards of a player’s pace reside in the mind. In this, Gérson was the epitome of cerebral football, his awareness and anticipation allowing him to outmanoeuvre opponents without the need for rapid acceleration.

Such mastery of the game, however, requires not only talent but the self-assurance to recognize one’s own potential and the audacity to execute it on the grandest stage. Gérson possessed this self-belief in abundance. It was a characteristic that would define not only his playing days but also his post-football career. His confidence in his abilities, coupled with a refusal to accept anything less than the highest level of competition, would shape the trajectory of his professional life.

Less than a year after making his debut for Flamengo, Gérson’s prodigious talents were recognized on a broader stage when he was selected for the Brazilian team that contested the 1959 Pan-American Games. The following year, he represented Brazil at the Rome Olympics, where he scored four goals, although Brazil’s campaign ended at the group stage. By this point, it was evident to both club and national team managers that Gérson was not merely a promising young player, but a rare and exceptional talent in the making. His development was a story of inevitable progression, a gem polished through experience and destined for greatness.

The Flamengo Days

 Back at Flamengo’s Ilha do Urubu stadium in Rio, the club’s Paraguayan manager, Fleitas Solich, entrusted Gérson with the role of the team’s primary creative force. This decision was mirrored by national coach Aymoré Moreira, who called up the young playmaker to the Brazilian squad that would defend their World Cup title in Chile—an honour that had been sealed by Pelé’s iconic performances in Sweden four years earlier. However, Gérson’s dreams of contributing to Brazil’s bid for a second consecutive triumph were shattered by a knee injury. As Pelé, Garrincha, and the rest of the Seleção lifted the trophy once more, Gérson was left on the sidelines, a cruel reminder that injury would often thwart his career at pivotal moments.

In his four years with Flamengo, Gérson played over 150 league matches, scoring an impressive 80 goals—a remarkable tally for a player primarily tasked with orchestrating play from midfield. Despite this success and the adoration of the fans, Gérson’s relentless desire to improve led him to leave the club in 1963, seeking new challenges that would test his talents further.

One such challenge came the previous year when Flamengo faced Botafogo in the final of the Rio Championship. It was a high-stakes match, an opportunity for the young midfielder to showcase his abilities on a grand stage. Yet, in a tactical move that would test his versatility, Gérson’s manager instructed him to abandon his attacking instincts and focus instead on a man-marking job against Botafogo’s star player, the legendary Garrincha. It was a defensive assignment that contrasted sharply with Gérson’s usual role as the creative heartbeat of his team.

This tactical shift was reminiscent of the approach taken by Helmut Schön during the 1970 World Cup, when he tasked Franz Beckenbauer with man-marking England’s Bobby Charlton in the quarter-finals. However, there was a key difference: Beckenbauer was a seasoned international, already in his second World Cup, and his ability to adapt to such a role was honed through years of experience. In contrast, Gérson was a young player still learning the nuances of top-level football, and the task of neutralizing Garrincha—one of the most elusive and unpredictable players of all time—was a far greater challenge. Whereas Beckenbauer’s defensive duties allowed him to eventually unshackle himself and influence the game once Charlton was substituted, Gérson’s inexperience made his task far more daunting. The weight of the responsibility, coupled with the complexity of facing a player of Garrincha’s calibre, underscored the vast gap between theory and execution for a young talent still in the process of defining his career.

Signing for Botafogo

 The task of man-marking Garrincha was, in fact, a challenge beyond even the world’s most accomplished defenders, a reality underscored in two World Cups. It came as no great surprise—perhaps only to Flamengo’s manager—that despite Gérson’s determined adherence to his tactical assignment, the job proved insurmountable for such a young and relatively inexperienced player. Botafogo triumphed 3-0, and Gérson’s influence on the match was minimal, his attempts to fulfil his defensive duties largely ineffectually.

For Gérson, this failure was frustrating but hardly unexpected. It marked a turning point in his relationship with Flamengo, leading him to reject a contract renewal the following year. The decision to leave the club and join his conquerors seemed almost inevitable. The old adage, “If you can’t beat them, join them,” may well have echoed in his mind as he made the move to Botafogo. There, he would play alongside Garrincha for the next few years, though the "Little Bird" would soon leave the nest to join Corinthians, leaving Gérson to continue his journey with the Fogão.

For any young Brazilian footballer, a move to Botafogo was a coveted opportunity. At the time, the club boasted one of the most illustrious squads in the country. Alongside Garrincha, Gérson would join a roster that included Didi—whose style had often been compared to Gérson’s own—Nílton Santos, and Mário Zagallo, each of whom added their own creative spark to the team’s brilliance. To play alongside such luminaries was a rare privilege, and Gérson flourished in the company of these footballing giants. His move to Botafogo marked the beginning of a highly successful chapter in his career. The club won the Rio-São Paulo Championship in both 1966 and 1967, and in 1967 and 1968, they also claimed the Rio Championship. The pinnacle of this period came in 1968, when Botafogo secured their first national title, lifting the Brazilian Cup after defeating Fortaleza in the final. In this fertile environment, Gérson’s talent blossomed, and he became an integral part of a team that would go down in history as one of Brazil’s finest.

Genesis of a World Champion

The 1966 World Cup proved to be a cruel chapter in Gérson’s career, a tournament that did little to enhance his reputation despite his undeniable talent. Brazil, having won two consecutive titles, travelled to England with high hopes of completing a historic hat-trick. Yet, the tournament unfolded as a nightmare. Brazil’s campaign was marred by a brutal physicality that bordered on barbaric, a treatment that could be likened to the malevolent image of breaking a butterfly upon a wheel, as Alexander Pope once wrote. While it’s true that Gérson’s performances were underwhelming, one could hardly blame him given the circumstances. The tournament, a cruel and violent ordeal, left its mark on the entire team, and Gérson would take four years to put matters right.

In 1969, Gérson’s time with Botafogo came to an end, having achieved considerable success. Over nearly 250 league appearances, he scored close to a century of goals—an impressive tally for a player whose primary role was as a playmaker. Yet, in a squad brimming with attacking talent, his goal-scoring potential might have been even greater had he been the focal point of the attack. Seeking new challenges, Gérson moved to São Paulo in 1969, a decision that would mark the beginning of a fresh chapter in his illustrious career. However, just as he had in the past, injury once again cast a shadow over his prospects for the 1970 World Cup, threatening to derail his third attempt at the ultimate prize.

Despite these setbacks, Gérson was selected for Brazil’s opening match against Czechoslovakia. However, just past the hour mark, with Brazil leading 3-1, Gérson was forced to leave the field due to injury, missing the final two group-stage matches against England and Romania. Brazil managed to secure victories in both, including a tense 1-0 win over England, but the absence of their cerebral midfielder was felt. When Gérson returned for the quarter-final against Peru, Brazil’s fortunes seemed to shift. With him back in the fold, the Seleção regained their rhythm, dispatching Peru 4-2 before cruising to a 3-1 victory over Uruguay in the semi-finals.

The final against Italy, however, would test Brazil’s mettle in ways they hadn’t anticipated. After Pelé’s early header put Brazil ahead, it seemed as though the match would follow the expected script, with the Azzurri fading under the weight of their exhaustion after a gruelling 4-3 semi-final victory over West Germany. But when Roberto Boninsegna capitalized on a defensive lapse to equalize, Brazil’s confidence faltered. The equalizer punctured their momentum, and Italy, reinvigorated by the unexpected turn of events, gained belief.

It is often said that the best team in a tournament does not always win the World Cup—just ask the Hungarian team of 1954, who were defeated by West Germany in the final despite having trounced them 8-3 in the group stages. Brazil needed a catalyst to reignite their game, a player capable of lifting the team’s spirits and reasserting control. Gérson, the orchestrator of Brazil’s midfield, was that player. As the match wore on, Brazil regained their composure and dominance, and it was Gérson who, just past the hour mark, struck the decisive blow. His goal restored Brazil’s lead and propelled them towards their third World Cup triumph. While much of the attention was rightly focused on Pelé and Carlos Alberto, it was Gérson who had steered the ship through turbulent waters, and his emotional reaction at the final whistle, as he was swept up in the euphoria of Brazil’s greatest achievement, was a poignant reminder of his central role in their victory.

After 75 league appearances for São Paulo, Gérson made his final move, returning to his boyhood club, Fluminense. His time there, however, was brief and less illustrious, as injuries and the toll of age began to diminish his influence on the field. Over two years, he made 57 league appearances and scored just five goals—far from the prolific numbers he had once posted. Gérson’s career, which had spanned 533 league games across four clubs, came to an end in 1974, with almost 200 goals to his name. On the international stage, he earned 85 caps for Brazil, winning 61 of those matches and scoring 19 goals. But none of those goals were as significant as the one he scored in the 1970 World Cup final, a strike that restored Brazil’s lead and ultimately secured their victory. His final appearance for the Seleção came in July 1972, a fitting conclusion to his international career, as Brazil triumphed 1-0 over Portugal in what was another hard-fought victory.

A Gem in The Centre of Park

 Although Gérson was primarily deployed as a holding midfielder, his role in the 1970 World Cup-winning Brazilian team transcended the conventional expectations of the position. As Jonathan Wilson astutely observed in a 2013 article for The Guardian, Gérson was an early and pioneering example of a more creative interpretation of the holding midfielder role—one focused not merely on regaining possession, but on controlling the game through ball retention and precise passing. His approach to the position was a harmonious blend of tactical intelligence, technical mastery, and an almost instinctive understanding of the flow of the game.

In this capacity, Gérson was the cerebral force behind Brazil’s triumph, often described as the "brain" of the team. His ability to dictate the tempo of play from midfield, to calm the game when necessary and accelerate it when the moment demanded, marked him as a player of exceptional vision and composure. His passing, renowned for its accuracy and elegance, allowed him to orchestrate play from deep positions, setting the rhythm for his teammates and ensuring that the ball was always moving with purpose. Gérson’s capacity to switch from defence to attack with a single, incisive long ball—often delivered with a precision that seemed almost preordained—was one of the defining features of his game. His vision allowed him to spot runs and make passes that would launch his team forward with devastating effect, a hallmark of Brazil's fluid, attacking style.

Gérson’s technical gifts were matched by his tactical acumen. He possessed an exceptional positional sense, always appearing in the right place at the right time, whether to intercept an opposing pass or to dictate the next phase of play. His deep understanding of the game allowed him to remain composed under pressure, and his decisions were invariably calculated to benefit the team as a whole. Yet, despite his role as a facilitator, he was no stranger to taking matters into his own hands when required. His powerful left foot, which could strike the ball with precision and force, earned him the nickname *Canhotinha de Ouro* (Golden Left Foot), a fitting tribute to one of the most formidable weapons in his arsenal.

Regarded as one of the finest passers in football history, Gérson’s influence extended far beyond the statistics of goals and assists. His legacy lies in his ability to shape the game, to turn fleeting moments into opportunities for his team, and to play with a calmness and intelligence that belied the intensity of the competition. In a team filled with stars, Gérson’s brilliance was often understated, but his importance to Brazil’s success in 1970 cannot be overstated. He was, quite simply, the engine that drove one of the greatest teams ever assembled, and his contributions to the beautiful game continue to resonate with those who understand the artistry of midfield play.

The After Years – A Bold Critic

 Even after his retirement, Gérson remained a prominent figure in Brazilian football, though not always for the most positive reasons. In 1976, he found himself at the centre of controversy when he appeared in a commercial for Vila Rica cigarettes. The ad, which featured Gérson declaring, “I like to take advantage of everything, right? You too take advantage!” was interpreted by many as a tacit endorsement of the morally dubious "Jeitinho Brasileiro"—the cultural tendency to circumvent laws and social norms to achieve personal gain. Whether by design or sheer misjudgment, the phrase resonated as an endorsement of corruption and bribery, a sentiment that Gérson would later regret. He clarified that this was never his intention, and he expressed remorse for having participated in the commercial, acknowledging the unfortunate implications of his involvement.

Beyond the commercial, Gérson’s post-retirement years were marked by a series of public spats, including a notable falling-out with Pelé. When Pelé released his list of the 125 Greatest Footballers of All Time, Gérson was notably absent. This omission, particularly given his instrumental role in Brazil's 1970 World Cup victory, rankled Gérson’s strong sense of self-belief. He voiced his displeasure with characteristic candour, publicly criticizing the list, which he felt failed to acknowledge the greatness of himself and several of his 1970 teammates. In a memorable protest, Gérson visited a local radio station, where he dramatically tore up a piece of paper symbolizing Pelé’s list. “I respect his opinion, but I don’t agree,” he declared, his frustration palpable. “Apart from Zidane, Platini, and Fontaine, I’m behind 11 Frenchmen? It’s a joke to hear this.”

Gérson’s outspokenness didn’t stop there. He also took aim at the new generation of Brazilian footballers, particularly Neymar. In a conversation with Fox Sports, Gérson expressed doubt that Neymar, despite his exceptional talent and astronomical transfer fees, would have earned a spot in Brazil’s 1970 World Cup squad. With the likes of Pelé, Jairzinho, Tostão, and Rivelino already established in the starting lineup, Gérson was adamant that Neymar would not have displaced any of them. “There wouldn’t be a space for Neymar,” he asserted, dismissing the possibility of the modern superstar fitting into the team, even as a substitute. He pointed to Caju, a player of immense talent who had struggled to secure a starting role in that illustrious squad, as an example of the competition Neymar would have faced. “I don’t even know if Neymar would have a place on the bench in that team,” Gérson remarked, reinforcing his belief that the current generation of players, despite their fame and success, did not measure up to the legendary figures of Brazil’s golden era.

In his later years, Gérson transitioned into a new role as a football commentator for Rio’s radio stations, lending his distinctive voice and insight to the games he once played. While he may no longer be on the pitch, his passion for the game remains evident as he provides a bridge between the action on the field and the fans who listen intently to his every word. Despite the emergence of players like Neymar, who commands global attention, there remains a deep nostalgia among many Brazilian football fans for the days when Canhotinha de Ouro donned the Canarinho shirt. In their eyes, Gérson’s golden left foot and cerebral approach to the game represent a standard of excellence that the modern generation may never quite reach.

Conclusion

 Gérson de Oliveira Nunes was undeniably a player of rare and exceptional talent, a once-in-a-generation figure whose career was marked by both extraordinary fortune and poignant misfortune. To have played alongside the constellation of stars at Botafogo, with the likes of Garrincha, Didi, and Nilton Santos, must have been a source of immense pride and joy. Yet, it was his role in Brazil’s national team, which triumphed in three World Cups over four tournaments, that truly elevated his legacy. Few footballers can claim to have been part of such a golden era, and for Gérson, the opportunity to display his remarkable talents on the world stage was the fulfilment of any footballer's dream.

However, the brilliance of Gérson’s career is tempered by a lingering question: in any other generation, would his extraordinary midfield talents have received the recognition they deserved? In an era where the dazzling brilliance of Pelé often cast a shadow over his contemporaries, one wonders whether Gérson’s contributions—so central to the success of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning team—might have been more widely acknowledged. Would his cerebral style of play, marked by his precise passing, exceptional vision, and ability to dictate the tempo of the game, have garnered greater acclaim had he not been overshadowed by the presence of Pelé and other luminaries?

It is a question that remains speculative, but one that speaks to the complexities of footballing history. Perhaps, in a different context, Gérson's genius might have shone even more brightly, and he might have secured a place on Pelé’s infamous list of the greatest footballers—a place he undoubtedly earned through his intellectual mastery of the game. Ultimately, Gérson was the brain behind one of the most extraordinary teams in football history, and his contribution to Brazil’s success is a legacy that should not be diminished, even if the full recognition of his greatness remains a matter of what might have been.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar