Brazilian footballer Didi who twice won the World Cup with his country in 1958 and 1962 died last night aged 71. The midfield star, who also led Peru to the quarter-finals of the World Cup as a coach in 1970, died of natural causes. Didi, full name Waldir Pereira, was regarded in the sport as one of Brazil's greatest ever footballers and was famous for his long-range shots, which dipped viciously, and were nicknamed "the dry leaf".
Pele, a team-mate of Didi during Brazil's World Cup victories, paid tribute to the player. "Didi was very important for me in 1958. I was only 17 and he was like an older brother. For him, playing football was as easy as peeling an orange. He invented a lot of important moves, like the dry leaf and the "three-toe pass" (striking the ball with the outside of the foot to give it an outswinging curve."
Didi's football career began with Rio de Janeiro club Sao Cristovao in 1943 and he joined Fluminense in 1949. He went on to play for Botafogo, Spain's Real Madrid and other clubs in Mexico and Peru before he took up coaching.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
