Edvaldo Izidio Neto (12 November 1934 – 19 January 2002), commonly known as Vavá, was a Brazilian professional footballer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest strikers of his generation. Nicknamed "Peito de Aço" (Steel Chest), he most notably played for Vasco da Gama, Atlético Madrid, Palmeiras and the Brazil national team.
Career At club level, Vavá started his career with Sport Recife from 1949 to 1950. Between 1958 and 1961, he played for Atlético Madrid, moving abroad for the first time. Vavá finished his career with Potuguesa de Desportos in 1970.
Vavá earned twenty caps with the Brazil national team between 1955 and 1964, scoring a total of fifteen goals. On 13 November 1955, he debuted in the Oswaldo Cruz Cup against Paraguay. Vavá was part of the team that won both the 1958 and 1962 FIFA World Cups, in which he scored five and four goals respectively. Furthermore, he was a joint-recipient of the 1962 World Cup Golden Boot as one of the tournament's top scorers. Vavá was also part of Brazil's squad for the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Vavá scored in the World Cup finals of both 1958 (twice) and 1962 (once), thus becoming the first player to score in two finals. Only five players have achieved this feat, the other four being Pelé, Paul Breitner, Zinedine Zidane, and Kylian Mbappé. He remained the only player to have scored in two consecutive World Cup final matches until Mbappé achieved the feat in 2022, having also scored in the final in 2018.
Death On 19 January 2002, Vavá died in a Rio de Janeiro clinic on Saturday aged 67.
Club statistics Club performance League Season Club League Apps GoalsSpain League1958–59Atlético MadridLa Liga27161959–6029101960–61155 Country Spain7131United States League 1968 San Diego Toros North American Soccer League 28 5 Country United States285Total9936
Honours Club Sport Recife Campeonato Pernambucano: 1949
Vasco da Gama Campeonato Carioca: 1952, 1956, 1958 Torneio Rivadavia Correa Meyer: 1953 Tournoi de Paris: 1957 Torneio Rio–São Paulo: 1958
Atlético de Madrid : 1959–60, 1960–61
Palmeiras Campeonato Paulista: 1963
Club América Liga MX: 1966
International Brazil national football team FIFA World Cup: 1958, 1962
Individual FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe: 1962 Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame
References
External links
Legends of the Football World Cup NASL stats