Manoel Pereira (3 January 1927 – 23 April 1985), mostly known by the nickname Leônidas da Selva, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward.

Leônidas da Selva
Personal information
Full name Manoel Pereira
Date of birth (1927-01-03)January 3, 1927
Place of birth Biguaçu, Brazil
Date of death 23 April 1985(1985-04-23) (aged 58)
Place of death Matinhos, Brazil
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1939–1940 Flamengo-SC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1941–1943 Lauro Müller
1944–1946 Palestra Itália-PR
1946–1951 Avaí
1952–1959 America-RJ
International career
1956 Brazil 6 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 September 2023

Nickname origin

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Manoel earned the nickname "Leônidas da Selva" from journalist Sandro Moreira, a joke on the player's physical resemblance to Leônidas da Silva, but having a totally ferocious style of play on the field (in Portuguese, "Selva" means jungle).

Career

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Started his career in Santa Catarina, played for Flamengo de Estreito and Lauro Müller. After, played for Palestra Itália de Curitiba and Avaí FC. In 1952, arrived at America, a club with which he had national recognition which earned him six call ups for the Brazil national team in 1956.[1]

He scored an unusual goal on an America trip to Turkey, where he scored with his heel, supporting his body weight on his hands.[2]

Honours

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Brazil

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America

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References

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  1. ^ "Seleção Brasileira (Brazilian National Team) 1953-1956". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Leônidas da Selva e o gol de 'bananeira-calcanhar'". Edição Norte (in Portuguese). 16 February 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
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