It has been a legendary footballing career for Carlos Alberto Pintinho. Born and raised in the favela of Morro do Borel, Pintinho would often travel to the Botafogo training sessions with his grandfather to watch legends like Garrincha, Nilton Santos, and Quarentinha.
He started playing barefoot ‘pelada’ matches on the dirt field of ‘Beira Rio’ in the Rua São Miguel, before graduating to futsal after his grandfather signed him up to his Souza Cruz cigarette factory team. He then ascended to 11-a-side football with América, only to return to pelada after they closed their academy, before heading back to 11-a-side and joining Fluminense’s academy. At 12 years of age, Pintinho moved away from his family and started living at Fluminense’s academy residence in the glitzy neighborhood of Urca. Eventually, his sacrifice paid off, with Pintinho debuting for Fluminense in 1972, the same year that he played for Brazil in the Summer Olympics.
Pintinho emerged as an indispensable figure for Fluminense, holding his own against iconic players like Pelé and helping them win the Campeonato Carioca in 1973, 1975, 1976, and 1984, the Torneio Internacional de Verão do Rio de Janeiro in 1973, the Torneio de Paris in 1976, the Torneio Viña del Mar in 1976, the Troféu Teresa Herrera in 1977, and the Taça Guanabara in 1975.
These stellar displays drew the attention of the Brazil national team, with Pintinho making three appearances between 1977 and 1979, before departing Fluminense and enjoying a brief spell at Vasco da Gama. He left his hometown of Rio de Janeiro for the first time in 1980 and joined Sevilla in 1980, where he transformed from a holding midfielder to an attacking midfielder and scored a total of 25 goals in 102 appearances before departing in 1984. Pintinho enjoyed a fleeting return to Fluminense before enjoying swan songs at Spanish side Cádiz and Portuguese side Farense, until finally hanging up his boots in 1987. Whilst he never suffered any serious injuries as a player, he was forced to officially retire from five-a-side football matches after undergoing hip surgery at the age of 53.
“I left football in 1987, because I just couldn’t go on anymore. I was fed up with playing football, although I never got injured or went through surgery. When I was 53, I had a hip injury and my doctor told me I would be lame, but through the operation, I regained my quality of life,” stated Pintinho in an exclusive Joy News interview.
“Of course, I wanted to continue playing sports, but he told me very clearly: no contact sports. I don’t play football anymore, but I walk every day and have a bicycle here at home, that’s why I look younger. I know many people like me who stopped playing five-a-side because it’s a contact sport. The field is very much like the football pitch, whether it’s made of dirt or gravel, which influences your movements a lot – I don’t recommend playing on artificial turf. I had to stop doing sports in general, but I was able to walk again and now, I do sit-ups and push-ups in order to take care of my health. The doctor advised me to wait two months for the recovery, and although I wanted to move around with it, I had to follow his advice.”
Since hanging up his boots, Pintinho has balanced his time between raising his children and working in various roles. Similarly to others like Rui Duarte, Pintinho transitioned from playing to coaching and secured his coaching licenses. He started managing a team in Murcia, only to grow homesick and return to Sevilla, where he mentored a number of young footballers, in addition to opening his own clothing store. He retired in 2020, and today, he spends his time speaking with his son Pablo – who covers Sevilla FC for Diario de Sevilla – and his other son Carlinhos – who lives in Madrid and is the youngest FIFA-licensed agent in Spain – and watching football matches. But whilst he’s spent the past four decades of his life in Sevilla, he still finds time to head back to Rio de Janeiro twice a year to see his family.
“I’ve been retired for a while, since 2020, but I’ve never worked. I’ve always been in the world of football, I’ve had sports shops, and I’ve had the football academy. It was a very beautiful stage of my life here in Seville. I had the very first school here in Seville. The truth is I enjoyed it a lot as a teacher; that was a very, very beautiful stage. I’m still friends with the parents of the children and the children who grew up, some of whom I talk to today. It was a very beautiful formative period, and I practiced at the football school with the students I had. My oldest son Pablo lives here in Seville. He was very good at football and played for Sevilla’s academy, but wasn’t focused on it, and now, he’s a journalist. My other son Carlinhos now works as a FIFA agent in Madrid. I’ve slowed down a bit, and I don’t know if I would coach again, but sometimes I tell my wife that I’m going to coach in Brazil again. But that’s very far away. I want to be at peace and live my life as I have it now and enjoy life with my wife, who takes good care of me.”
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
