Brazilian way was epitomised by the carefree Socrates

THERE’S SOMETHING about that Brazilian flair, that artistry with a ball, making the totally predictable into something weird, wonderful or even crazy. It’s a speciality of the South American country, built into their DNA, something that was never completely lost.

In this country, you support your own as a youngster. As an eighties kid, Italia ‘90 and USA ‘94 gave you a sense of pride that could never be artificially manufactured but even then, you always had a roving eye on something more glamorous.

The second team of most Irish youngsters at those World Cups was Brazil. By ‘90 some of that gung-ho attitude, that unpredictability and majestic brilliance, had gone but that bright yellow shirt was still sought after.

The reason for that was those that had come before and few were more iconic than Socrates. He looked like a man of Amazonia, bohemian in appearance, carefree and uninhibited on the pitch. He was what the Brazilian way was all about.

So there was obviously an air of intrigue when a biography on the man, simply entitled ‘Doctor Socrates’, was next in line to be picked up and perused. Written by Andrew Downie, the Brazilian football correspondent for Reuters, it promised much.

So, who was Socrates? Well, it turns out he was narcissistic to the extreme. What was often portrayed as him doing something that was for the greater good of the group, invariably turned out to be what was best for the man himself.

Socrates is well known and remembered for his ‘Corinthians Democracy’ movement, which gave players at the Brazilian club a voice in how it was run. Underneath it all, it just seems that, more than movement, it was simply the best way for Socrates to get his own way.

As a complete work of his playing career, the book delivers. While written chronologically, the author doesn’t shy away from jumping back and forward in Socrates’ career if he deems it necessary to tie the story together.

The reader does have to take pause when these jumps happen, to refamiliarise themselves with where Socrates is at the time, but by and large this is forgivable and does more good to the text than harm.

It’s understandable that certain topics are harped back to time and again, but at the same time the author’s style is somewhat grating. There’s only so many ways you can say a man had a drinking problem before you frustrate the audience. They know.

There’s a feeling that the book, with the information held within, could have easily been one hundred pages shorter and not lost any fresh information. Or, it could have been the same length and delved deeper into his life after football.

His demise, at the age of 57, is brilliantly authored, and it’s probably the strongest chapter of the book. But give the reader more, not a smattering of how Socrates went from retired soccer star to his death.

The use of the word biography always feels a little hollow when huge segments of a life are squeezed into a single chapter.

Overall, is this the next purchase for the sports book enthusiast? It’s interesting, it is, and it pops off the shelf with one of the most impressive covers you will ever see, but there’s something holding it back from being a really good book.

For the soccer fan, who enjoys biographies of greats, this is a perfect fit to the collection. It will be better than some, not as good as others, but it’s well worth a place on the shelf and several hours of your time. DEAN GOODISON Visit The Book Centre on Wexford’s Main Street for the very best selection of sports books.