Nílton Santos

Nílton Santos
Santos in 1956
Personal information
Full name Nílton dos Santos
Date of birth (1925-05-16)16 May 1925
Place of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date of death 27 November 2013(2013-11-27) (aged 88)
Place of death Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Left back
Youth career
Botafogo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
19481964 Botafogo 723 (11)
International career
19491962 Brazil 75 (3)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Brazil
FIFA World Cup
Winner1958 Sweden
Winner1962 Chile
Runner-up1950 Brazil
South American Championship
Winner1949 Brazil
Runner-up1953 Peru
Runner-up1957 Peru
Runner-up1959 Argentina
Panamerican Championship
Winner1952 Chile
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nílton dos Santos (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈniwtõ ˈsɐ̃tus]; 16 May 1925 – 27 November 2013) was a Brazilian footballer who primarily played as a wingback. At international level, he was a member of the Brazil squads that won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups.

Regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of the game, Nílton Santos is a member of the World Team of the 20th Century, and was named by Pelé one of the top 125 greatest living footballers at a FIFA Awards ceremony in 2004. In 2009, he was the recipient of the Golden Foot Legends Award. He was unrelated to his frequent defensive partner Djalma Santos.