The 'Greediest' Player Ever To Play For Newcastle!
By Nu Mad
Updated Wednesday, 11th July 2007
For some reason we have had a Brazilian media company asking about our dear friend Mirandinha's time on Tyneside. I'm not sure why he is suddenly popular back in his home country, but they are set to include him in a TV show.
To jog the memory, Mirandinha wore the famous number nine of Brazil and scored against England at Wembley in 1987. And the Magpies sent our very own "famous number nine" Malcolm Mcdonald to South America to try and coax him to Tyneside.
The deal was sorted and 'Mira' became the first Brazilian to play in English football.
He came from Palmeiras and was arguably the greediest footballer any of us had ever seen, and everyone of his strike partners said he was almost impossible to play beside. As Paul Gascoigne once said "give him the ball ... and that was the last you saw of it".
But he was a very popular figure at Newcastle, made 55 starts in black and white and scored 23 goals.
His crowning glory, and a day I will NEVER forget (October 1st 1988) was seeing him scoring the winner (from the penalty spot) at Anfield and running the length of the Kop kissing his NUFC badge.
Amazing to think, we won 2-1 at Anfield and manager Iam McFaul got the sack! Mira eent back to Palmeiras.
And talking of Brazil ...
Brazil are through to the final of the Copa America after a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Uruguay.
With the sides locked at 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes, the game went straight to penalties and skipper Diego Lugano missed the crucial spot kick for Uruguay to send Dunga's side through.
Brazil went ahead after 12 minutes when Uruguay keeper Fabian Carini could only parry Mineiro's shot and Maicon converted the rebound.
The match then had to be stopped for 13 minutes due to one of the four floodlights failing but after lengthy discussions, the players agreed to carry on.
Julio Baptista sent a free kick just wide before Brazil keeper Doni did well to deny both Diego Forlan and Alvaro Recoba just after the half-hour mark
However, Uruguay's pressure paid off as Forlan took advantage of a mistake by Doni to draw his side level in the 36th minute.
But parity lasted a mere five minutes as Baptista got on the end of Gilberto Silva's free-kick to put Brazil back in front at the break.
Carini was made to work to keep out Robinho's free kick from the edge of the area just after half-time before Sebastian Abreu livened up a pedestrian second period with the equaliser 20 minutes from the end as the substitute applied the finishing touch to Forlan's header at the far post.
That proved to be the last real action of the game as both sides were happy to settle for penalties.
In the shootout, Doni saved Forlan's opening penalty for Uruguay before Carini kept out Afonso's effort with Brazil leading 3-2.
With the scores all-square at 4-4 Fernando missed for Brazil, giving Pablo Garcia the chance to be the hero but the Osasuna midfielder hit the post.
Gilberto then scored and Doni denied Lugano to send Brazil through to Sunday's final as they bid for their eighth Copa America title, while Oscar Tabarez's men will contest the third-placed play-off.
