Toninho Cerezo

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Toninho Cerezo bigraphy, stories - Brazilian footballer and manager

Toninho Cerezo : biography

21 April 1955 –

Toninho Cerezo, real name Antônio Carlos Cerezo, (born 21 April 1955 in Belo Horizonte) is a former football player from Brazil.

Personal life

Cerezo is the father of one daughter, fashion model and Givenchy muse Lea T.

Career

He played as a defensive midfielder with Atlético Mineiro, A.S. Roma, Sampdoria, São Paulo Futebol Clube and the Brazilian national team. He was known for his tireless style of play.

He won the Brazilian Golden Ball trophy in 1977 and again in 1980 and the Brazilian Silver Ball trophy in 1976.

Cerezo won five times the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup). In 1991 he won both the Italian Serie A championship and the Coppa Italia with U.C. Sampdoria.

With São Paulo FC he was the two-times winner of the Intercontinental Cup and Copa Libertadores.

Cerezo was the best player of the Intercontinental Cup final in 1993.

In 1998, he retired as a player, and, after doing some studies and probations in Italy, he returned to Brazil, and start a career as a manager at Vitória, reaching the semifinals of the Brazilian Série A. He also led Japanese powerhouse Kashima Antlers in J. League for six years. He won five major titles in Japan, two league championships, one Emperor’s Cup and two league cups.

After that, he coached Atlético Mineiro, Guarani, and some Asian clubs such like Al-Hilal, Al-Shabab, Al Ain and returned to Brazil to led Sport, leaving just one month later.

National team

Cerezo won 57 caps (full international games), between March 1977 and June 1985, with the Brazilian national team, scoring seven goals.

He played the FIFA World Cup 1978 and FIFA World Cup 1982. He was also due to go to the 1986 tournament, but a hamstring injury in May ruled him out.

At FIFA World Cup 1982 his back pass was intercepted by Paolo Rossi who went on to score in a 2–3 loss to Italy which saw a hat trick for Rossi and Brazil knocked out of the tournament in a dramatic upset. For many years after the event, he was widely criticized for this awful pass by many Brazilians.

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Japan League Emperor’s Cup League Cup Asia Total
1972 Atlético Mineiro Série A 3 0
1973 4 0
1973 Nacional-AM Série A 20 3
1974 Atlético Mineiro Série A 5 0
1975 12 0
1976 19 2
1977 18 0
1978
1979 8 1
1980 19 4
1981 9 3
1982 3 0
1983 11 2
1983–84 Roma Serie A 30 6
1984–85 22 3
1985–86 18 4
1986–87 Sampdoria Serie A 28 3
1987–88 28 3
1988–89 29 2
1989–90 21 2
1990–91 12 3
1991–92 27 1
1992 São Paulo Série A
1993 13 1
1994 Cruzeiro Série A 10 3
1995 Paulista
1995 São Paulo Série A 8 0
1996 América-MG
1996 Atlético Mineiro Série A
Total Brazil
Italy 215 27
Career total
Brazil national team
Year Apps Goals
1977 11 2
1978 11 0
1979 2 0
1980 6 1
1981 13 2
1982 9 0
1983 0 0
1984 0 0
1985 5 0
Total 57 5

Honours as a manager

Kashima Antlers
  • J. League: 2000, 2001
  • J. League Cup: 2000, 2002
  • Emperor’s Cup: 2000
Al-Shabab
  • UAE Football League: 2008

Honours as a player

Nacional
  • Campeonato Amazonense: 1974
Atlético Mineiro
  • Campeonato Mineiro: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Roma
  • Coppa Italia: 1984, 1986
  • European Cup: 1984 runner-up
Sampdoria
  • Serie A: 1990–91
  • Coppa Italia: 1988, 1989
  • UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1989 runner-up, 1990
  • European Cup: 1992 runner-up
São Paulo
  • Campeonato Paulista: 1992
  • Intercontinental Cup: 1992, 1993
  • Copa Libertadores: 1993
  • Supercopa Sudamericana: 1993
  • Recopa Sudamericana: 1993, 1994