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POSITION: Goalkeeper
FULL NAME: João Leite da Silva Neto
DATE OF BIRTH: 13-10-1955
PLACE OF BIRTH: Belo Horizonte (MG)
CAREER DETAILS:
Atlético Mineiro: 1976-89, Vitória de Guimarães (Portugal):, Guarani-RJ:, América-MG:
ATLETICO HONOURS:
10 Mineiro State Championships (1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989)
PERSONAL HONOURS:
Brazilian Championship Team of the Year: (1979)
6 International Caps
GOD’S GOALKEEPER
Politician, religious movement founder and the greatest goalkeeper in the history of Clube Atlético Mineiro, João Leite’s began his professional career with Atlético back in 1976. After regular keeper Ortiz fell out with the coach, the eager youngster seized his opportunity with aplomb. After seeing João Leite produce a fine performance on his debut, the club was reluctant to pacify the situation with Ortiz, and as a result of this the Argentine was never to return to Atlético. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise, blessing being the operative word. For over the next thirteen years, João Leite went on to contribute to Atlético winning ten Mineiro State Championships. His sure handling, positional play and reflexes made him eminent within Brazilian football, and many felt he deserved better than the six caps he won for Brazil.
João Leite was a headline-grabber both on and off the field. From his marriage to former Volleyball star Eliana to his founding of the ‘Christ’s Athletes’ religious movement, the respectable character was never far from the news. His involvement with religion, in particular the Evangelist Church, earned him the nickname of God’s Goalkeeper. Today he continues to work as a politician in Minas Gerais. Despite his association with politics and religion, João Leite is still fondly remembered for being an outstanding keeper. In a poll conducted at the turn of the century, to determine the greatest ever Atlético Mineiro side, the name of João Leite da Silva Neto emerged as the top choice for the number one jersey, starving off notable competition from Kafunga, Marcial and Claudio Taffarel.
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Rankings prepared by Mark Lowdon based on criteria including length of service, achievements and performances. Players have been judged on the period they spent at the club only.
Last page update: Jan 27 2005
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