Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto (born 2 April 1971), better known simply as Edmundo, is a Brazilian football pundit and retired footballer who played as a forward. Nicknamed O Animal, he was a talented yet controversial footballer and drew attention both for his skill, as well as for his volatile behaviour, both on and off the pitch.
Edmundo started his professional career in Vasco da Gama in 1991, making his debut in 1992, where he won the Cariocão Grupo A in 1992. In 1993, he signed with Palmeiras, where he was part of the team that won the Brasileirão Série A in 1993 and 1994 and the Paulistão Série A1 in 1993, which ended the club's 17-year major title drought, and 1994, with a loan spell at Parma in 2000. In 1995, he moved to Flamengo and in 1996, after a loan spell in Corinthians, he returned to Vasco da Gama, where he won the Brasileirão Série A in 1997, netting 29 goals in 28 games, breaking the then Brasileirão Série A scoring record for a season. In 1998, he moved to Italian club Fiorentina. In 1999, he returned to Vasco da Gama. After loans to Santos and Napoli and a spell at Cruzeiro, in 2001, he moved to Japan, where he played in Tokyo Verdy and Urawa Red Diamonds. In 2003, he moved to Vasco da Gama, and after spells at Fluminense, Nova Iguaçu, Figueirense and Palmeiras, he returned to Vasco da Gama in 2008, where he retired, returning in 2012 to a testimonial match.
Edmundo played for Brazil national team from 1992 to 2000. He played the World Cup in 1998, where Brazil reached the final and finished runner-up. He played three Copa América editions, in 1993, 1995 and 1997, winning the 1997 and finished runner-up in 1995. He also played the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1998.
Club career
Vasco da Gama
Born in Niterói, Edmundo played for several clubs throughout his career, both in his native country of Brazil and abroad. However, the history of Edmundo, as a football player, is strongly intertwined with Vasco da Gama. He began his career with the club in the amateur divisions in 1982, also later playing for the Botafogo youth side before returning to the club. He went on to make his debut as professional with the Vasco da Gama senior side, where he remained until 1992.
He returned to the club in 1996, and in 1997, when Vasco won the Brasileirão Série A, he was the season's top scorer, his twenty-nine goals breaking a record set by Reinaldo of Atlético Mineiro twenty years earlier. In that same year, Vasco da Gama scored sixty-nine goals. That season, Edmundo was named the league's player of the year. He also scored six goals in a match against União São João. After moving between several clubs abroad, he returned to Vasco da Gama in 1999, where he joined his international team-mate Romário and was initially handed the captain's armband, reaching the final of the 2000 Club World Championship, defeating Manchester United in the process;
Career in Brazil
In 1993, Edmundo left Vasco da Gama and transferred to Palmeiras, where he won the Brasileirão twice, in 1993 and 1994, scoring thirty-four goals in eighty-nine appearances for the club. Despite his success, he had several disputes with his manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo, and was involved in an altercation with his team-mate Antônio Carlos, which led to Edmundo being sacked by the club.
Time in Italy, return to Brazil and Japan
In 1997, Italian club Fiorentina purchased Edmundo for 13 billion lire (approx. 8 million dollars at the time), and he remained with the team until 1999. Despite putting on some spectacular performances during his tenure in Florence, which initially endeared him with the fans, his stint in Italy was also marked by inconsistency and controversy, which drew criticism from the press. One particular incident which drew much publicity occurred during the 1998–99 season, under manager Giovanni Trapattoni; Edmundo left the club midway through the season in order to attend the Rio Carnival. Although at that point Fiorentina were first in the league, due to his absence, as well as strike partner Gabriel Batistuta's injury, Fiorentina missed out on the league title at the end of the season, and as a result, Edmundo had a falling out with the club, his manager, and his team-mates.
In April 1999, he returned to Vasco da Gama, who paid Fiorentina a record 23 billion lire (payable in two installments). There, he created a lethal partnership in attack with Romário with whom they were not in speaking terms. Edmundo captained Vasco at the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship, where they reached the final only to lose to Corinthians on penalties, with him missing the decisive kick.
In January 2001, he was sent out on loan to Napoli, where he remained until June. and was unable to prevent the club's relegation to Serie B at the end of the season.
Later that year, he joined J1 League club Tokyo Verdy, scoring eighteen goals in thirty-one appearances, and remaining with the club until 2002. He joined Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds in 2003, but did not make a single appearance for the team.
Along with Jorge Valdivia and Marcos, Edmundo was one of the most important footballers for Palmeiras during the 2007 season; however, his contract was not renewed at the end of the season. There are two versions of this fact: according to the "official" one, his salary was too high for his irregular performances. But it is more possible that the actual reason was that Caio Júnior, who was favorable to this permanence, was sacked and Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who has personal problems with Edmundo, was hired. but he returned to play until the end of 2008 season.
International career
At international level, Edmundo made forty-two appearances for Brazil between 1992 and 2000, scoring ten goals. He was a member of the team that won the 1997 Copa América, including the final where the team lost 3–0 to hosts France and finished in second place. Additionally, Edmundo was a member of the Brazil squad that took part at the 1993 and 1995 Copa América tournaments, winning a runners-up medal in the latter edition; he also won a bronze medal at the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Furthermore, he took part in two exhibition tournaments with the Brazil national side, winning the 1995 Umbro Cup, and finishing second in the 1997 Tournoi de France. Despite his talent, however, Edmundo's turbulent lifestyle off the pitch, as well as extensive competition from several world-class Brazilian forwards at the time (including Bebeto, Romário, and Ronaldo), are thought to have limited his playing time at international level. A versatile forward, Edmundo played primarily as a second striker, but was capable to play as a winger or even as a main striker or attacking midfielder. Despite his talent, he was also a tenacious and controversial footballer, he was also known for his aggression and poor behaviour on the pitch, which often led him to pick up cards, In 1998, due to his difficult relationship with the Florentine club,
Career statistics
Club
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|National cup
!colspan="2"|League cup
!colspan="3"|State
!colspan="2"|Continental
!colspan="2"|Other
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="3"|Vasco da Gama
|1991
|Brasileirão Série A
|||||||||||||Cariocão Série A||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992
|Brasileirão Série A
|23||8||||1||||||Cariocão Série A||||5||||||||||||14
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|-
|rowspan="5"|Palmeiras
|1993
|Brasileirão Série A
|19||11||||2||||||Paulistão Série A1||||11||||||||||||23
|-
|1994
|Brasileirão Série A
|||||||||||||Paulistão Série A1||||8||||||||||||8
|-
|1994
|Brasileirão Série A
|21||9||||||||||Paulistão Série A1||||||||||||||||9
|-
|1995
|Brasileirão Série A
|||||||2||||||Paulistão Série A1||||8||||5||||||||15
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|-
|Parma (loan)
|1993–94
|Serie A
|||||||||colspan="2"|—||colspan="3"|—||colspan="2"|—||||||||
|-
|Flamengo
|1995
|Brasileirão Série A
|14||2||||||||||Cariocão Série A||||||||2||||||||4
|-
|Corinthians (loan)
|1996
|Brasileirão Série A
|||||5||3||||||Paulistão Série A1||14||14||10||5||||||29||22
|-
|rowspan="3"|Vasco da Gama
|1996
|Brasileirão Série A
|16||9||||||||||Cariocão Série A||||||||2||||||||11
|-
|1997
|Brasileirão Série A
|28||29||||||||||Cariocão Série A||||9||||2||||||||40
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!44!!38!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|-
|rowspan="3"|Fiorentina
|1997–98
|rowspan="2"|Serie A
|9||4||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="3"|—||colspan="2"|—||||||10||4
|-
|1998–99
|28||8||6||2||colspan="2"|—||colspan="3"|—||4||2||||||38||12
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!37!!12!!7!!2!!colspan="2"|—!!colspan="3"|—!!4!!2!!!!!!48!!16
|-
|rowspan="3"|Vasco da Gama
|1999
|Brasileirão Série A
|17||13||||||||||Cariocão Série A||4||3||||||||||21||16
|-
|2000
|Brasileirão Série A
|||||3||3||||||Cariocão Série A||10||9||||||4||2||||14
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|-
|Santos (loan)
|2000
|Brasileirão Série A
|20||13||||||||||Paulistão Série A1||||||||||||||||13
|-
|Napoli (loan)
|2000–01
|Serie A
|17||4||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="3"|—||colspan="2"|—||||||17||4
|-
|Cruzeiro
|2001
|Brasileirão Série A
|12||3||colspan="2"|—||||||Mineiro Módulo I
|||||||3||||||||6
|-
|rowspan="3"|Tokyo Verdy
|2001
|rowspan="2"|J1 League
|5||2||3||2||0||0||colspan="3"|—||colspan="2"|—||||||8||4
|-
|2002
|26||16||0||0||6||5||colspan="3"|—||colspan="2"|—||||||32||21
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!31!!18!!3!!2!!6!!5!!colspan="3"|—!!colspan="2"|—!!!!!!40!!25
|-
|Urawa Reds
|2003
|J1 League
|0||0||0||0||2||0||colspan="3"|—||colspan="2"|—||||||2||0
|-
|Vasco da Gama
|2003
|Brasileirão Série A
|20||7||||||||||Cariocão Série A||||||||||||||||7
|-
|Fluminense
|2004
|Brasileirão Série A
|19||7||||||||||Cariocão Série A||||2||||||||||||9
|-
|Nova Iguaçu
|2005||Copa Rio
|||||colspan="2"|—||||||Cariocão Série B1
|||1||||||||||||1
|-
|Figueirense
|2005
|Brasileirão Série A
|31||15||||||||||Catarinense Divisão Principal
|||||||||||||||15
|-
|rowspan="3"|Palmeiras
|2006
|rowspan="2"|Brasileirão Série A
|29||10||colspan="2"|—||||||Paulistão Série A1||||6||||3||||||||19
|-
|2007
|20||4||||||||||Paulistão Série A1||||12||||||||||||16
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!49!!14!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|-
|Vasco da Gama
|2008
|Brasileirão Série A
|25||13||||6||||||Cariocão Série A||||5||||||||||||24
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!377!!177!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|}
International
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
|-
|style="text-align:center"|2
|
|Estadio Alejandro Serrano Aguilar, Cuenca, Ecuador
|
|style="text-align:center"|2–0
|style="text-align:center"|3–0
|1993 Copa América
|
|-
|style="text-align:center"|3
|
|Villa Park, Birmingham, England
|
|style="text-align:center"|1–0
|style="text-align:center"|1–0
|Friendly
|
|-
|style="text-align:center"|4
|
|Wembley Stadium, London, England
|
|style="text-align:center"|3–1
|style="text-align:center"|3–1
|Friendly
|
|-
|style="text-align:center"|5
|
|Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera, Rivera, Uruguay
|
|style="text-align:center"|2–0
|style="text-align:center"|2–0
|1995 Copa América
|
|-
|style="text-align:center"|6
|
|Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera, Rivera, Uruguay
|
|style="text-align:center"|1–1
|style="text-align:center"|2–2
|1995 Copa América
|
|-
|style="text-align:center"|7
|
|National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
|
|style="text-align:center"|2–0
|style="text-align:center"|5–1
|Friendly
|
|-
|style="text-align:center"|8
|
|Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
|
|style="text-align:center"|2–0
|style="text-align:center"|2–0
|1997 Copa América
|
|-
|style="text-align:center"|9
|
|Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia
|
|style="text-align:center"|1–0
|style="text-align:center"|3–1
|1997 Copa América
|
|-
|style="text-align:center"|10
|
|Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States
|
|style="text-align:center"|1–0
|style="text-align:center"|4–0
|1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
|
|}
Honours
Vasco da Gama
- Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 1992
- Brasileirão Série A: 1997
- Torneio Rio-São Paulo runner-up: 2000
- FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2000
Palmeiras
- Brasileirão Série A: 1993, 1994
- São Paulo State Championship: 1993, 1994
- Rio de Janeiro-São Paulo Tournament: 1993
Flamengo
- Supercopa Libertadores runner-up: 1995
ACF Fiorentina
- Coppa Italia runner-up: 1998-99
Nova Iguaçu FC
- Campeonato Carioca Série A2: 2005
Brazil
- Umbro Cup: 1995
- Copa América: 1997
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1998
Individual
- Bola de Ouro: 1997
- Bola de Prata: 1993, 1997
- South American Team of the Year: 1995, 1997
- South American Player of the Year Bronze Ball: 1995
- Chuteira de Ouro: 1997
- Copa do Brazil top scorer: 2008
- Brasileirão Série A top scorer: 1997
- FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2000