Reinaldo (footballer, born 1957)

José Reinaldo de Lima (born 11 January 1957) is a former Brazilian footballer who played as a striker. He is popularly known as Reinaldo or Rei (The King). Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers in the history of Brazilian football, Reinaldo played most of his career for Atlético Mineiro, is considered by many the most important player in the club, and still holds the record of highest goal average per game in the Brazilian league, with 1.55 goals per match in the 1977 Brazilian Championship, at a time when Atlético Mineiro was regarded to have one of the best teams in the world.

In this article, the surname is de Lima, not Lima.
Reinaldo
Personal information
Full name José Reinaldo de Lima
Date of birth (1957-01-11) 11 January 1957
Place of birth Ponte Nova, Brazil
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1973–1985 Atlético Mineiro 475 (255)
1985 Palmeiras 7 (0)
1986 Rio Negro 6 (2)
1986 Cruzeiro 2 (0)
1986 Häcken
1988 Telstar Velsen
International career
1975–1985 Brazil 37 (14)
Managerial career
1999 Valeriodoce
2001 Mamoré
2012 Villa Nova
2014 Ipatinga
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Legendary Brazilian midfielder Zico considered him the best player he had ever seen, believing that he would have been the greatest Brazilian player after Pelé if not for injuries.[1]

Clubs and years active

Reinaldo played 30 matches and scored 14 goals for the Brazil national team between July 1975 and May 1985, including the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where he scored one goal against Sweden.[2] He also scored the qualifying goal for Brazil's participation in the 1982 FIFA World Cup held in Spain, but was not included on the team, apparently due to injury.

Records and awards

Reinaldo scored a club record of 255 goals for Clube Atlético Mineiro.[3] He also averaged 1.55 goals per match in the 1977 season—scoring 28 goals in 18 matches— the record average for the Brazilian League, for which Atlético supporters nicknamed him The King ("o Rei", in Portuguese, which also served as a pun on his name). He won eight Campeonato Mineiro titles including six consecutively: in 1976, 1978–1983 and 1985.

Subsequent career

Reinaldo is still remembered by Atlético Mineiro supporters. In 2004, he was elected in Belo Horizonte to represent the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Brazilian Workers' Party).

Honours

Atlético Mineiro

Brazil
  • Taça da França: 1981
  • Taça da Inglaterra: 1981

Individual
  • Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Top Scorer: 1977 (28 goals)
  • Bola de Prata da Revista Placar (artilheiro do Campeonato Brasileiro - 28 gols: 1977)
  • Bola de Prata da Revista Placar (seleção do Campeonato Brasileiro: 1977 e 1983)

Record
  • Top scorer with the highest average of goals in a single Brazilian Championship (28 goals in 18 matches, average of 1.55 per game): 1977

References
  1. "Zico diz que Reinaldo poderia ter sido o maior pós-Pelé: 'foi o maior jogador que eu vi'". November 2019.
  2. Reinaldo – FIFA competition record (archived)
  3. "Futpedia: Reinaldo (José Reinaldo de Lima)" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. Archived from the original on 2008-11-09. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
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