Nílton Santos

Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was a pioneering attacking left back, being one of the first full backs to make runs down the wing to participate in the offensive game. Once he said: "I have never envied today's players the money but the freedom they have, to go forward". He played all his professional club career for Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.

Nílton was a key player in defence during the 1954, 1958 and 1962 World Cup finals (he was also in the Brazilian squad for the 1950 finals, but made no appearances) and became famous for scoring a goal in the 1958 tournament when Brazil played Austria. Dribbling his way through the whole field, he finished with a shot that drove his coach Vicente Feola crazy (he kept on insisting for Nílton to retreat to the defensive field, but was ignored until the goal was scored). Nílton Santos played for only two teams in his professional career; Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas and the Brazil national team collecting 75 caps and scoring 3 goals.

Santos was primarily deployed as a left-back, although he was noted for the breadth of his game and has often been regarded as a precursor to the modern attacking full-back role. At a time when full-backs were generally expected to remain in defensive positions, Santos was recognised for combining defensive solidity with the technical ability and confidence to advance down the left flank. Brian Glanville of The Guardian described him as "tall, powerfully built, elegant and versatile", noting that he was cool under pressure, quick on the turn, a firm tackler, and always ready to surge forward and use his strong left foot. FIFA described Santos as "Brazil and Botafogo's pioneering wingback". In its profile of him, FIFA highlighted his goal against Austria at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, when he won the ball in his own half, continued his run beyond the halfway line and moved into a position to score. The profile noted that, although full-backs had attacked before, it was in that World Cup match that "the concept of the wingback was born", with the role extending beyond merely defending. Santos was nicknamed A Enciclopédia ("The Encyclopedia") for his understanding of football and his complete style of play. His ability to defend, read the game and contribute to attacks made him one of the earliest prominent examples of the Brazilian attacking full-back tradition.

Santos remains closely associated with Botafogo, the only professional club he represented. The club credits him with 723 appearances and 11 goals, and refers to him by his nickname, "A Enciclopédia do Futebol" ("The Football Encyclopedia"). FIFA has also used the nickname in reference to his tactical reading of the game and mastery of his position. Botafogo's home ground, the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, commonly known as Engenhão, is named in his honour. Built for the 2007 Pan American Games, the stadium became Botafogo's home in 2007 and was used for athletics and football at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At Botafogo's request, the venue's name in use was changed from Estádio Olímpico João Havelange to Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in 2015, before the change was made official by the city of Rio de Janeiro in 2017.