Gylmar dos Santos Neves (Portuguese pronunciation:[ʒiwˈmaɾduˈsɐ̃tusˈnɛvis]; 22 August 1930 – 25 August 2013) known simply as Gilmar (with an i), was a Brazilian footballer who played goalkeeper for Corinthians and Santos and was a member of the Brazil national team in three World Cups.[2] He was elected the best Brazilian goalkeeper of the 20th century and one of the best in the world by the IFFHS. He is remembered for his sober style on the pitch and his peaceful personality.[3]
In the book by Alex Bellos, Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, it is reported that Gilmar is named after his parents, Gilberto and Maria. Gilmar was the starting goalkeeper for Pele's world-famous Santos and Brazilian national teams of the 1960s. Therefore, he's famous around the world as "Pele's goalkeeper." In 1998, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit.[4]
Club career
Gilmar, born in Santos, São Paulo, started his career playing for club Jabaquara from Santos, but transferred to Corinthians in 1951. With this club he was State Champion in 1951, 1952 and 1954.
In 1961, he signed to play for Santos, where he was part of one of the best football teams in the history of the sport, and probably the best football team of the era. In that team he played along with sport legends like Pelé, Pepe, Zito, Mengálvio, Lima and Coutinho, among others. With Gilmar between the posts, Santos conquered almost every championship they competed in: they won five São Paulo State Championships (1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968), five National Championships (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965), two Libertadores Cups (1962 and 1963) and two Intercontinental Cups (1962 against Eusébio's Benfica and 1963 against Milan).
National team
With the Brazilian national team, Gilmar played 104 times, allowing only 95 goals.[3] He was selected to the national squad for three straight World Cups, between 1958 and 1966.[3] He was part of the starting team in the first two World Cups Brazil won, in 1958 and 1962, and is the only goalkeeper to win two consecutive World Cups in the starting position. Gilmar died just three days after his 83rd birthday.[3]
