View source for Heleno de Freitas

{{short description|Brazilian footballer (1920-1959)}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Heleno de Freitas
| image = Heleno freitas botafogo.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Heleno de Freitas in Botafogo
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|02|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[São João Nepomuceno]], Brazil
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1959|11|08|1920|02|12|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Barbacena]], Brazil
| height = 1.82 m
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| youthyears1 = 1927–1931
| youthclubs1 = Mangueira
| youthyears2 = 1931–1935
| youthclubs2 = [[Madureira Esporte Clube|Madureira]]
| youthyears3 = 1935–1936
| youthclubs3 = [[Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas|Botafogo]]
| youthyears4 = 1936–1939
| youthclubs4 = [[Fluminense FC|Fluminense]]
| years1 = 1939–1948
| clubs1 = [[Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas|Botafogo]]
| caps1 = 235
| goals1 = 209
| years2 = 1948
| clubs2 = [[Boca Juniors]]
| caps2 = 17
| goals2 = 7
| years3 = 1949–1950
| clubs3 = [[Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama|Vasco da Gama]]
| caps3 = 24
| goals3 = 19
| years4 = 1950
| clubs4 = [[Junior de Barranquilla|Atlético Junior]]
| caps4 = 15
| goals4 = 9
| years5 = 1951
| clubs5 = [[Santos FC|Santos]]
| caps5 = 0
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 1951
| clubs6 = [[America Football Club (RJ)|América]]
| caps6 = 1
| goals6 = 0
| totalcaps = 292
| totalgoals = 244
| nationalyears1 = 1944–1948
| nationalteam1 = [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]
| nationalcaps1 = 18
| nationalgoals1 = 19
}}
'''Heleno de Freitas''' (12 February 1920 &ndash; 8 November 1959) was a Brazilian [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[forward (association football)|forward]].

==Early life==
De Freitas was born into a rich Brazilian family in São João de Nepomuceno, in the state of Minas Gerais, on 12 February 1920. Prior to becoming a footballer, he was looking to pursue a career as a lawyer, and even obtained a law degree. He began playing beach football in amateur tournaments. He was signed by Botafogo at the age of 15.<ref name="cine">{{cite web |url=https://es.fifa.com/news/heleno-personaje-cine-1608481 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726024431/https://es.fifa.com/news/heleno-personaje-cine-1608481 |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 July 2019 |title=Heleno, un personaje de cine |publisher=FIFA.com |language=es |date=30 March 2012 |access-date=6 April 2020 }}</ref><ref name="guardian"/>

==Club career==
[[File: Heleno, jogador de futebol (1971).tiff|thumb|100px|Heleno with Vasco da Gama. He played there from 1949 to 1950]]
De Freitas spent most of his club career with [[Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas|Botafogo]], scoring 209 goals in 235 matches for the club, most with his head. In 1948 he transferred to [[Boca Juniors]] in Argentina, but returned to Brazil the following year, winning the [[1949 Campeonato Carioca|1949]] [[Campeonato Carioca]] with [[Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama|Vasco]]. He also had a spell in Colombia with [[Atlético Junior]], before ending his career with [[America Football Club (RJ)|América]] in [[Rio de Janeiro|Rio]], after a very short stint at [[Santos FC|Santos]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocuriosodofutebol.com.br/2015/04/a-passagem-relampago-de-heleno-pelo_15.html|title=A passagem relâmpago de Heleno pelo Santos|trans-title=The express stint of Heleno for Santos|publisher=O Curioso do Futebol|language=pt|date=15 April 2015|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref> he played only one match for America, on 4 November 1951, during which he was sent off after only 25 minutes of play for insulting his teammates, and it was his first and last game in the [[Estádio do Maracanã|Maracanã]].<ref name="cine"/><ref name="guardian"/><ref name="Bleacher Report"/>

==International career==
De Freitas scored 19 goals in 18 appearances for [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] between 1944 and 1948 (a rare average of more than one goal per game) as the team finished runners-up in both the [[South American Championship 1945|1945]] and [[South American Championship 1946|1946]] [[Copa América]] championships. He was joint top goalscorer in the 1945 edition of the tournament, alongside Argentine [[Norberto Doroteo Méndez]], with six goals. He was left off of the Brazilian team that took part at the [[1950 FIFA World Cup]] on home soil, however, as he was considered to be past his prime.<ref name="cine"/><ref name="Bleacher Report"/>

== Style of play ==
Described as a "tall and elegant [[forward (association football)#Striker|striker]]" by Christopher Atkins of ''[[Bleacher Report]]'',<ref name="Bleacher Report">{{cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1485218-pele-and-the-20-greatest-brazilian-footballers-of-all-time#slide2 |title=Pele and the 20 Greatest Brazilian Footballers of All Time |publisher=Bleacher Report |last1=Atkins |first1=Christopher |date=15 January 2013 |access-date=6 April 2020 }}</ref> and as "Brazil's [[Pelé]] in the 40s" and "the prince of Rio" by Jonathan Wilson of ''[[The Guardian]]'',<ref name="guardian"/> De Freitas is regarded as one of the most talented footballers of all time, and was known for his entertaining playing style, although he was also a perfectionist and a highly competitive player, who often served as a [[Captain (association football)|captain]]. Despite his temperament, he struggled to cope with pressure at times, and had difficulties with controlling his nerves and temper, which occasionally led him to commit rash challenges; moreover, he was notorious for his lack of discipline, poor work-rate, inconsistency, and rebellious character, which caused him problems with his managers, teammates, opponents, and officials, and as a result, he was frequently sent off and suspended throughout his career due to his involvement in several controversial incidents and altercations. His problems in his personal life and [[bohemian lifestyle]] off the pitch also had a negative impact on his performances in his later career.<ref name="cine"/><ref name="guardian"/><ref name="Bleacher Report"/><ref>{{harvnb|Neves|2006|p=17}}</ref><ref name="page 41">{{harvnb|Neves|2006|p=41}}</ref>

He started out playing on the beach as a hard–tackling [[Defender (association football)#Centre-back|central]] [[Defender (association football)|defender]] or as a [[Midfielder#Central midfielder|central]] [[Midfielder#Defensive midfielder|defensive midfielder]] in his youth; however, during his time with the [[Fluminense FC|Fluminense]] youth side, his manager Carlo Carlomagno decided to deploy him as a [[Forward (association football)#Centre-forward|centre-forward]], in order to limit his possibility of committing fouls and being booked.<ref>{{harvnb|Neves|2006|p=35}}</ref><ref name="sambafoot">{{cite web|url=http://www.sambafoot.com/en/players/1953_Heleno_de_Freitas.html|title=Heleno de Freitas|publisher=Sambafoot|access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref>

He excelled in this new attacking role, due to his speed, technique, vision, passing, intelligence, positioning, ability to read the game, heading, and accurate finishing ability with his feet, which made him a prolific goalscorer. Although he primarily played upfront, he was often known for dropping into [[Midfielder|midfield]] in order to retrieve the ball, as he preferred to play with the ball at his feet. He was also known for his ability to lose his markers and get into positions from which he could receive the ball and shoot, as well as his ability to play with his back to goal.<ref name="cine"/><ref name="page 41"/><ref>{{harvnb|Neves|2006|p=50}}</ref><ref name=corsp>{{cite news|url=http://www.emeroteca.coni.it/bookreader.php?&c=1&f=6063&p=3#page/3/mode/1up|title=Un centro attacco brasiliano nuovo idolo delle folle argentine|work=Il [[Corriere dello Sport]]|language=it|first=Medardo|last=Salvioni|date=13 June 1948|page=3|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015005423/http://www.emeroteca.coni.it/bookreader.php?&c=1&f=6063&p=3#page/3/mode/1up|archive-date=15 October 2013}}</ref><ref name="medium"/> Heleno was later nicknamed ''The Cursed Prince''.<ref name="medium">{{cite news |url=https://medium.com/between-the-lines-its-all-about-football/how-garrincha-killed-heleno-510c579caf11 |title=How Garrincha killed Heleno |work=Medium |date=23 May 2016 |access-date=6 April 2020 }}</ref>

== Personal life and death ==
{{multiple image
|total_width = 300
|image1 = Heleno de Freitas (Boca). - El Gráfico 1525.jpg
|image2 = Heleno, jogador de futebol, 1971.tif
|footer = (Left): Heleno covered on Argentine magazine ''El Gráfico'' during his tenure on Boca Juniors, 1948; (right): de Freitas in his later years
}}
De Freitas was married to Ilma; the pair eventually split, and she went on to marry Heleno's best friend.<ref name="guardian"/><ref name="medium"/> Throughout his career, he was notorious for his turbulent lifestyle off the pitch; he was known to be a womaniser, and would often stay out all night and spend the evenings in [[ballroom]]s. He also smoked, drank, and was known for gambling. Moreover, he struggled with drug addiction as well as mental health issues. He died from complications related to late-stage, untreated syphilis in 1959 in [[Hospital Colônia de Barbacena|a sanatorium in Barbacena]], at the age of 39.<ref name="cine"/><ref name="guardian">{{harvnb|Wilson|2012}}</ref><ref name="Bleacher Report"/><ref name="medium"/>

== Legacy ==
A biography of de Freitas, ''Nunca houve um homem como Heleno'' (''There was never a man like Heleno''), by Marcos Eduardo Neves, was first published in 2006. The title of is a reference to his mocking nickname "Gilda". He was nicknamed after [[Rita Hayworth]]'s iconic character in the [[Gilda (film)|eponymous film]] due to his good looks and hot temper; the poster for the film included the caption "There never was a woman like Gilda".<ref name="medium"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/impresso,as-luvas-pretas-da-gilda-,860099,0.htm |title=As luvas pretas da Gilda |language=pt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720070616/http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/impresso%2Cas-luvas-pretas-da-gilda-%2C860099%2C0.htm |archive-date=20 July 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://terceirotempo.bol.uol.com.br/quefimlevou/qfl/sobre/heleno-de-freitas-912.html | title = Que fim levou? Heleno de Freitas | language =pt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.brasildefato.com.br/node/9415 | title = Entre a glória e a tragédia | language = pt | access-date = 22 October 2012 | archive-date = 27 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170927202134/https://www.brasildefato.com.br/node/9415/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> During his time playing in Colombia, De Freitas met [[Gabriel García Márquez]], who was a young journalist at the time; regarding De Freitas, Márquez commented: "As a football player, Heleno de Freitas could blow hot and cold. But he was more than just a centre-forward. He was a permanent opportunity for others to speak ill of him."<ref name="guardian"/> In [[Colombia]] a Colombian writer and sports reporter Andrés Salcedo wrote a Book namely ''El día en que el Fútbol Murió: Triunfo y tragedia de un dios'' (meaning: "The day when football died: Triumph and tragedy of a god") including Heleno de Freitas as the main character.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eltiempo.com/cultura/libros/ARTICULO-WEB-NEW_NOTA_INTERIOR-11630909.html | title = 'El día en que el fútbol murió', un relato sobre Heleno de Freitas | language =es}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url = http://amzn.com/9588727154 | title = Amazon link of the book | date = January 2011 | language =es}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://revistaviacuarenta.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/el-dia-en-que-el-futbol-murio-una-novela-de-andres-salcedo/ | title = Spanish blog review of the book | date = 13 February 2012 | language =es}}</ref>

In 2012, Brazilian [[filmmaker]] José Henrique Fonseca released a film based on the life of Heleno de Freitas. The film was titled ''[[Heleno]]'' and stars [[Rodrigo Santoro]] as Heleno de Freitas.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://rioshow.oglobo.globo.com/cinema/eventos/criticas-profissionais/heleno-6200.aspx | title = Professional review about the film "Heleno" | language =pt}}</ref> The film's focus is more on Heleno de Freitas' personal life, particularly his decline into [[ether addiction]] and mental illness, rather than presenting his achievements on the football field.<ref name="guardian"/>

==Honours==
===Club===
'''Botafogo'''
* Torneio Inicio: 1947
* Campeonato Carioca de Aspirantes: 1944, 1945
* Campeonato Carioca de Amadores: 1944, 1943, 1944
* Copa Burgos: 1941 
* Taça Prefeito Dr. Durval Neves da Rocha: 1942

'''Vasco da Gama'''
* [[Campeonato Carioca|Rio de Janeiro State League champion]]: [[1949 Campeonato Carioca|1949]]<ref name="cine"/>
* Campeonato Carioca de Aspirantes: 1949

'''Santos'''
* Quadrangular de Belo Horizonte: 1951

===International===
'''Brazil'''
* [[Roca Cup]] champion: 1945
* [[Copa Río Branco|Rio Branco Cup champion]]: 1947
* [[Copa América]] runner-up: [[South American Championship 1945|1945]], [[South American Championship 1946|1946]]

===Individual===
* [[Campeonato Carioca#List of champions and top scorers|Campeonato Carioca top-scorer]]: [[1942 Campeonato Carioca|1942]]<ref name="rsssfbrasil">{{cite web|url=http://www.rsssfbrasil.com/tablesr/rj1942.htm|title=RSSSF – Championship of Rio de Janeiro 1942|publisher=RSSSF.com|last=Leme de Arruda|first=Marcelo|date=21 October 2008|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref>
* [[Copa América records and statistics#General statistics by tournament|Copa América top-scorer]]: [[1945 South American Championship#Goal scorers|1945]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/45safull.html |title=Southamerican Championship 1945 – Scorer's list |last1=Tabeira |first1=Martín |date=11 February 2016 |website=[[RSSSF]] |access-date=5 April 2020 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1720114/ Heleno (2011)]: A Biographical Film directed by [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0284677/ José Henrique Fonseca] [[IMDb]]
* [http://soundsandcolours.com/articles/brazil/lover-fighter-jogador-the-unbelievable-life-of-heleno-de-freitas-12151/ Lover, Fighter, Jogador: The Unbelievable Life of Heleno de Freitas]
* {{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2012/dec/11/forgotten-story-heleno-de-freitas |title=The forgotten story of … Heleno de Freitas |work=The Guardian |last1=Wilson |first1=Jonathan |date=11 December 2012 |access-date=9 March 2019 }}
* [http://www.museudosesportes.com.br/noticia.php?id=359 Article on Heleno, www.museudosesportes.com.br] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314011142/http://www.museudosesportes.com.br/noticia.php?id=359 |date=14 March 2009 }} {{in lang|pt}}
* {{WorldFootball.net|heleno-de-freitas}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160305002020/http://www.calcio.com/profilo_giocatori/heleno-de-freitas/ archive])

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last1=Neves |first1=Marcos Eduardo |title=Nunca houve um homem como Heleno |trans-title=There was never a man like Heleno |date=2006 |pages=327 |publisher=Ediouro Publicações |language=pt |location=Rio de Janeiro |isbn=85-00-01683-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u0IV5yhwF1AC |access-date=6 April 2020 }}

{{Commons category}}

{{Brazil squad 1945 South American Championship}}
{{Brazil squad 1946 South American Championship}}
{{Copa America top scorers}}
{{Campeonato Carioca top scorers}}
{{Botafogo FR Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freitas, Heleno de}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1959 deaths]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Brazilian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Brazilian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas players]]
[[Category:Boca Juniors footballers]]
[[Category:CR Vasco da Gama players]]
[[Category:Atlético Junior footballers]]
[[Category:Santos FC players]]
[[Category:America Football Club (Rio de Janeiro) players]]
[[Category:Argentine Primera División players]]
[[Category:Categoría Primera A players]]
[[Category:Brazil men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia]]
[[Category:Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Argentina]]
[[Category:Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Colombia]]
[[Category:People from São João Nepomuceno]]
[[Category:20th-century Brazilian sportsmen]]