He Atlético is in mourning after learning of the death this Thursday of Joao Leiva Campos Filho, better known as Leivinha. The Brazilian winger, who along with his compatriot Luis Pereira (both arrived within four days of showing off with Palmeiras in the Carranza Trophy against Real Madrid), gave the red and white team a joy and magic for eternity, died at the age of 76, leaving a indelible memory.
In this sense, despite remaining on the brink of the centenary, its 93 games as a red and white, spread over four seasons, were enough for him to become one of the club’s most legendary foreigners, contributing to the conquest of the League in the 76-77 season accompanied by the Ayalas, Rubén Cano, Leal and company, with Luis Aragonés on the bench.
Not in vain, in his 15 participations in that championship, Leivinha contributed eight of the 43 points that summarize his time at Atlético, where injuries prevented his legend from becoming even greater. In fact, already in his debut would turn Calderón upside down, signing a hat-trick in the 4-1 defeat to Salamanca that would start a stage in which their bicycles and filigrees would mark their game.
Mourning also in Brazil
Sad news announced by the Palmeiras on their social networks, where they would define him as a “crack with head and feet”, as well as one of the “symbols of the Second Academy that enchanted Brazil in the first half of the 1970s.” Erected among the club’s 15 top scorers, with whom he scored 108 goals in 267 games, he would also be praised as “an attacking midfielder with quick touches and excellent definition” who leaves “a legacy that crossed generations.”