Moacir Barbosa

Success with Vasco da Gama

At club level, Barbosa had his greatest successes with Rio de Janeiro side CR Vasco da Gama. He won several trophies at Vasco, including the 1948 South American Championship of Champions, the original precursor to the Copa Libertadores.

1949 Copa América

With the Brazilian national side, Barbosa won the 1949 Copa América. The 7–0 final victory over Paraguay remains to date the highest victory in a final of the competition.

The Maracanazo and its aftermath

At the 1950 FIFA World Cup held on home soil, Brazil played Uruguay in the decisive match of the World Cup finals at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil was heavily favoured to win and needed only a draw to win the round-robin tournament, but despite scoring first, they lost 2–1 when Alcides Ghiggia scored the winning goal for Uruguay in the 79th minute after skilfully dribbling past defender Bigode and then drilling the ball into the net while Barbosa was out of position, expecting a cross into the middle. The loss stunned Brazilians and plunged the country into mourning over what became known as the Maracanazo, or "the Maracanã blow". Barbosa was blamed for the defeat, for which he suffered for the rest of his life as the match became part of Brazilian folklore. In 1963, Barbosa was presented with the old square wooden goalposts from the Maracanã as a present, which he took home and burned. Thirty years later, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Ricardo Teixeira, did not allow him to be a commentator for the broadcast of an international match. In 2000, Barbosa said in an interview: "The maximum punishment in Brazil is 30 years' imprisonment, but I have been paying, for something I am not even responsible…

Official

Vasco da Gama

South American Championship of Champions: 1948 Torneio Rio–São Paulo: 1958 Campeonato Carioca: 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1958 Torneio Octogonal Rivadavia Correa Meyer: 1953 Brazil

Copa América: 1949 FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1950 Individual

IFFHS Brazilian Keeper of the 20th Century: Third place IFFHS South American Keeper of the 20th Century: Eleventh place

Unofficial

Copa Roca (unoff.)¹: 1945 Copa Rio Branco (unoff.)²: 1947, 1950 ¹) irregular friendly tournament between Brazil and Argentina ²) irregular friendly tournament between Brazil and Uruguay

Club

Torneio Quadrangular do Rio (inoff.)¹: 1953 Torneio Internacional de Santiago de Chile (inoff.)²: 1953 ¹) with CR Vasco da Gama, CR Flamengo (both R.d Janeiro), CA Boca Juniors and. Racing Club (both Argentina) ²) with CR Vasco da Gama, Millonarios (Bogotá) and CSD Colo-Colo (Santiago)