Antônio Carlos Cerezo (born 21 April 1955), known as Toninho Cerezo (), is a Brazilian former footballer. Cerezo is commonly regarded as one of the finest Brazilian defensive midfielders of all time, most notably having played for his hometown's team Atlético Mineiro;Toninho Cerezo he also played for several other clubs in both Brazil and Italy throughout his career.

At international level, Cerezo took part at the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cups – winning a bronze medal in the former edition of the tournament – and the 1979 Copa América, where Brazil finished in third place.

Club career Throughout his career, Cerezo played as a defensive midfielder with Atlético Mineiro, Roma, Cruzeiro, Sampdoria, São Paulo and the Brazil national team.

While playing in Brazil, he won the Bola de Ouro in 1977 and 1980 and the Bola de Prata in 1976.

During his time in Italy, Cerezo won the Coppa Italia four times; in 1991 he won the Serie A with Sampdoria, but lost the Coppa Italia final to AS Roma.

With São Paulo he was a two-time winner of the Intercontinental Cup, and also won the Copa Libertadores once. Cerezo was named the best player of the 1993 Intercontinental Cup final.(He scored the second goal and assisted Müller's game-winning goal in a 3–2 victory against Milan.)

In 1997, he retired as a player, and, after doing some studies and probations in Italy, he returned to Brazil, and start a career as a manager at Vitória, reaching the semifinals of the Brasileirão Série A. He also led Japanese powerhouse Kashima Antlers in the J.League for six years. He won five major titles in Japan, two league championships, one Emperor's Cup, and two league cups.

After his time in Japan, he coached Brazilian clubs Atlético Mineiro, and Guarani, as well as some Asian clubs, such as Al Hilal, Al Shabab, Al Ain; he later returned to Brazil once again as head manager of Sport Recife, leaving the club just one month later.

International career Cerezo won 57 caps (full international games), between March 1977 and June 1985, with the Brazil national team, scoring five goals.

He played in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where they finished in third place, and in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where they were eliminated in the second round in a group which contained defending champions and continental rivals Argentina, as well as the eventual champions Italy. He was also due to go to the 1986 tournament, but a hamstring injury in May ruled him out of the upcoming World Cup. He was a member of the Brazilian team that finished in third place at the 1979 Copa América.

At the 1982 FIFA World Cup one of his back passes was intercepted by Italian striker Paolo Rossi, who went on to score; the match ended in a 2–3 loss to Brazil, which also saw Rossi score a hat-trick, and as a result, Brazil were knocked out of the tournament in a dramatic upset. For many years after the event, he was widely criticized for this error by many Brazilian fans and members of the press.

Style of play A tall and strong midfielder with a slender frame, Cerezo is regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian defensive midfielders of all time. He was well known for his tireless work-rate, stamina, tactical awareness, and his dynamic style of play. Cerezo was usually deployed in a holding role, but he was also an elegant and highly creative player who was highly regarded in the media for his technique, vision, ability to understand the game, and passing range. These traits enabled him to orchestrate attacking moves for his team, get forward, and create chances for teammates after winning back possession. As such, he often functioned as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield throughout his career. Although he was mainly a team player who preferred to assist other players over scoring himself, he also possessed an accurate shot.

Personal life Cerezo is Roman Catholicbooks.google.com jornalggn.com.br and is father of four children, including fashion model Lea T.

Career statistics Club Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Japan League Emperor's Cup League Cup Asia Total1972Atlético MineiroSérie A301973401973Nacional-AMSérie A2031974Atlético MineiroSérie A501975120197619219771801978197981198019419819319823019831121983–84RomaSerie A3061984–852231985–861841986–87SampdoriaSerie A2831987–882831988–892921989–902121990–911231991–922711992São PauloSérie A19931311994CruzeiroSérie A1031995Paulista1995São PauloSérie A801996América-MG1996Atlético MineiroSérie A Total Brazil Italy21527 Career total

International Brazil national teamYearAppsGoals197711219781101979201980611981132198290198300198400198550198600Total575

Managerial statistics J.League Data Site TeamFromToRecordGWDLWin %Kashima Antlers20002005Kashima Antlers20132015Total

Honours

Player

Club Nacional Campeonato Amazonense: 1974

Atlético Mineiro Campeonato Mineiro: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 Copa dos Campeões da Copa Brasil: 1978 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A runner-up: 1977, 1980

Cruzeiro Campeonato Mineiro: 1984

Roma Coppa Italia: 1984, 1986 European Cup runner-up: 1984

Sampdoria Serie A: 1990–91 Coppa Italia: 1988, 1989 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1990 European Cup runner-up: 1992 Supercoppa Italiana: 1991

São Paulo Campeonato Paulista: 1992 Copa Libertadores: 1993 Supercopa Libertadores: 1993 Recopa Sudamericana: 1993 Intercontinental Cup: 1992, 1993

Individual South American U-20 Championship top scorer: 1977South American Youth Championships – Topscorers Bola de Ouro: 1977, 1980 Bola de Prata: 1976, 1977, 1980 World XI (Reserve): 1979FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info World Soccer World XI: 1983 Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player of the Match Award: 1993 A.S. Roma Hall of Fame: 2016

Manager

Club Kashima Antlers J.League: 2000, 2001 J.League Cup: 2000, 2002 Emperor's Cup: 2000 Suruga Bank Championship: 2013

Al Shabab UAE Football League: 2008

References

Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 1 – Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.

External links