Former Brazil midfielder Zito, who played at the heart of the sides that won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, has died at the age of 82.
Zito, whose full name is Jose Ely de Miranda, spent his entire club career with Sao Paulo club Santos, playing 733 games and scoring 57 goals. He played 52 times for Brazil, mostly as a defensive midfielder.
In later years Zito, who had been unwell since suffering a stroke last year, was a director at Santos, and has been widely credited with scouting Neymar and bringing him to the Brazilian giants in 2003.
The 23-year-old forward, now plying his trade at Barcelona, paid tribute to Zito with a tweet that said: "I have no words to describe this guy. I simply thank him for everything he's done for me. #RIPZito"
Nao tenho palavras pra descrever esse cara, simplesmente agradeço tudo que fez por mim ... Obrigado ZITO ! #RIPZITO pic.twitter.com/RiPRwWUGSn
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) June 15, 2015
Zito's death means that Mario Zagallo and Pele are now the only surviving members of the Brazil starting XI that contested the 1958 World Cup final.
Giuseppe Labellarte
