REMEMBER HIM? Silva Batuta, the Tony Tornado of Gávea
Fabricio Costa - GloboEsporte
Rio de Janeiro
His unsteady gait betrays osteoarthritis in his right knee. And his voice, now barely audible, echoed for 18 years on football pitches around the world. His hair hasn't changed much. In other words, it's practically the same as the one Walter Machado da Silva sported in the late 50s, when he emerged in São Paulo's youth academy.
Former number 10 Silva Batuta (right) goes by the nickname Tony Tornado, at Gávea
What few people know is that Silva Batuta, at 69, with 11 teams and a World Cup under his belt, still breathes football. He's a Flamengo employee, working in the club's events department. He's one of the people responsible for scheduling weddings, baptisms, and graduation parties in Gávea.
"I finished law school in 1995, encouraged by my family. I even interned at a law firm, but I didn't want to pursue this new profession. I preferred to return to my roots. I'm passionate about Flamengo. So, I decided to work here again. This time in administration," reveals the former number 10, who played for the Red-Blacks from 65 to 69, being the top scorer in three seasons. In total, he found the net 68 times in 132 matches for his beloved club.
Silva Batuta works in the events sector at Fla
A Copacabana resident, he says he hasn't lost an old habit: collecting all kinds of combs. That's right, he's capable of buying them in bulk. At the same rate he combs his hair several times a day. This earned him the nickname Tony Tornado—a reference to the Brazilian actor and singer who never neglects his hair. "I always have a comb in my shirt pocket. It goes everywhere with me. I think that's my greatest vanity, since I still only ride the bus like I did when I was a player," revealed the former player for São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Corinthians, Flamengo, Santos, Botafogo, Barcelona, Racing de Avellaneda, Vasco, Barranquilla Junior (Colombia), and Tiqueres Flores (Venezuela).
Emergence of the King of Football
var midiaEmbed = { theme: "darkgray", image: '/GMC/foto/0,,20900196-EX,00.jpg' , band: 'TIPO_TXT' , backgroundColor : "FFFFFF", fontColor : "000000", linkColor : "FF00FF", borderColor : "00FF00", autoStart: false, midiaId: 1043343 }; var embed = new GMCEmbed(midiaEmbed); embed.print(); With an air of nostalgia, Silva remembers that he witnessed Pelé's first steps, at Santos. He faced the King of Football in the youth teams, wearing the São Paulo shirt. He also served in the army at the same time as the greatest player of all time. A dispute that turned into a partnership in the 1966 World Cup, when both defended the Brazilian national team in England. And, in 67, when Batuta transferred to Peixe (watch the video of stories told by Silva Batuta).
"Unfortunately, Brazil was eliminated from the World Cup after that 3-1 loss to Portugal. It was the biggest disappointment of my life. There was a lot of disorganization. The call-ups were political. Several players weren't fit to play. They left Carlos Alberto Torres and Djalma Dias out. And we didn't really know the competition rules," lamented the former striker, who also nearly played in the 1970 World Cup. He transferred from Barcelona to Vasco hoping to be called up, but coach João Saldanha was replaced by Zagallo, who didn't call him up for the competition. Batuta also remembers the emergence of more than one star. He even watched some of Rivellino's matches with the Corinthians youth team, where he played for three years. He also remembers the fame of a certain Galinho de Quintinho, at Gávea. "Zico was a knockout." And he was known by the professionals because he would enter the field with us - recalled the sexagenarian, who guarantees he has never left the field defeated in a Fla-Flu.\
Garrincha's nomination for Flamengo
Batuta in the classic against Botafogo, at Maraca
To the surprise of many, it was Silva who brought Garrincha to Flamengo. Before leaving the club, he convinced then-president Veiga Brito to sign the Bent-Legged Genius. "Mané wanted to leave Corinthians. So I took advantage of my friendship with a director to help with the negotiations," confirmed the father of Waltinho, Wallace (these former players), and Vânia; and grandfather of Mateus, Jéssica, Jonathan, Maria Vitória, and Mariana. "His best international form was at Racing de Avellaneda, where he is still considered the greatest idol of the Argentine team." "I'm always invited to visit the club. I go to Argentina at least once a year and have never been discriminated against for being black. When Racing turned 100 (in 2003), I received a beautiful tribute," boasted the former striker, who was the top scorer in the 1968 national championship with 18 goals in 28 games. Silva's last club in Brazil was Vasco, from 70 to 74. After that, he played for Barranquilla Junior in Colombia and Tiqueres Flores in Venezuela. He also had a disappointing experience at Barcelona. He wasn't registered for the Spanish Championship because he was a foreigner and ended up playing only a few matches in the Champions League, then known as the Champions League.
Sensational team in amateur football tournament
var midiaEmbed = { theme: "darkgray", image: '/GMC/foto/0,,20900332-EX,00.jpg' , band: 'TIPO_TXT' , backgroundColor : "FFFFFF", fontColor : "000000", linkColor : "FF00FF", borderColor : "00FF00", autoStart: false, midiaId: 1043358 }; var embed = new GMCEmbed(midiaEmbed); embed.print(); Already retired, Silva Batuta was one of the stars of Surpresa, a team also formed by Dida, Carlinhos “Violino”, Evaristo de Macedo and Almir Pernambuquinho in the late 1970s. The team in question faced "challenges" at Aterro do Flamengo – a stronghold of peladeiros in Rio de Janeiro. \ - It was cowardice. We were undefeated three-time champions, and it ended up losing its appeal. Bonsucesso even fielded a good team, but our squad was made up entirely of former Flamengo players," recalled Tony Tornado from Gávea, who insists on wearing afros at nearly 70, but really enjoys listening to Roberto Carlos songs. (watch the video below with other stories from Silva). \