Japan Football Hall of Fame
JFA Hall of Fame Inductee
Zico:Arthur Antunes Coimbra
Special Selection: 13th Japan Football Hall of Fame Inductee in 2016
- Born in Rio de Janeiro Brazil on 3 March 1953
Zico is a world-famous football player who appeared at three consecutive FIFA World Cups between 1978 and 1986 and wore the No.10 shirt for Brazil national team from 1980 onwards.
In 1991 he joined Sumitomo Metal Industries team (now Kashima Antlers) and returned to professional football at the age of 38. In the opening match of the 1993 J.League, he scored a hat-trick and contributed to the success of the club at the same time his world-class plays enticed many Japanese football fans and led to the huge popularity of the J.League in its early years.
Even after retiring from professional football, he continued to work on the development of Kashima Antlers. As a result, Kashima have become the team with the most J.League Championship titles.
In 2002, Zico became the head coach of the Japan National Team, leading them to glory at the AFC Asian Cup China 2004 and also taking them to the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany by getting through the Asian Qualifiers in 2005.