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Aldair
	Aldair in 2005
Personal information
Full name	Aldair Nascimento dos Santos
Date of birth	30 November 1965 (age 59)
Place of birth	Ilhéus, Brazil
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Centre back
Senior career*
Years	Team
1985–1989	Flamengo
1989–1990	Benfica
1990–2003	Roma
2003–2004	Genoa
2005	Rio Branco
2007–2009	Murata
Total
International career
1996	Brazil Olympic (O.P.)
1989–2000	Brazil
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing Brazil
FIFA World Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
Copa América
Olympic Games
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aldair Nascimento dos Santos (Brazilian Portuguese: [awdaˈiʁ]; born 30 November 1965), known simply as Aldair, is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a centre back, and who was part of the Brazil national team that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Considered as one of Brazil's greatest defenders ever,^[5]^[6] he spent most of his professional career at Italian club AS Roma, where he later also served as captain, winning the Serie A title with the club in 2001. He is one of the members to have been inducted into the AS Roma Hall of Fame.^[7]

Club career

Aldair started playing at Flamengo where he won the State Championship Campeonato Carioca in 1986. He moved to Europe in 1989, playing with Benfica, winning the Portuguese Supercup, and reaching the European Cup final during his only season with the team.

Aldair subsequently moved to AS Roma in 1990 and played with this club during 13 seasons, until 2003. He played a total of 436 matches with the Giallorossi, scoring 20 goals in total.^[8] During this period he won the Serie A in 2001, one Supercoppa Italiana, and one Coppa Italia in 1991 (also reaching the UEFA Cup final in the same year). Aldair was recognised in 2000 as one of the best players in the world by being selected in the FIFA XI; still, he remained loyal to Roma in spite of the club not having won any major international honours during his time there.

Due to his long career with Roma, Aldair is currently the most-capped foreign player in the Italian club's history and the club decided to retire his number 6 jersey when he left the team in 2003. However, this retirement was not permanent, as in 2013 the shirt number 6 has been conceded to Kevin Strootman, with Aldair's approval.^[9] In 1998, he was chosen to be the captain of the Giallorossi but preferred to grant the armband to the then 22-years old Francesco Totti.^[10] For his contribution to the club, Aldair was included into the AS Roma Hall of Fame in 2012, and thus recognized as one of the best footballers in the club's history. He was nicknamed "Pluto" by Roma fans.^[11]

After Roma, Aldair then briefly joined Genoa. In July 2005, Aldair announced plans of playing for Rio Branco, and played two games for the club in the state championship, helping his team to win the title.

Former teammate and good friend Massimo Agostini convinced him to play in San Marino for SS Murata in order to boost their Champions League campaign. After Murata's dreadful 7–1 aggregate defeat to Cypriots APOEL in the first round of qualifying for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, Agostini decided to call upon Aldair to join him on the Italian Peninsula. Aldair took part in the Champions League qualifying stage in July 2007.

International career

Aldair was part of the Brazilian squad that took part at the 1990 FIFA World Cup. In 1994, he reached the pinnacle of his career when he played for the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Originally not included in the squad announced on 10 May 1994, he was called up as replacement when Carlos Mozer had to withdraw due to illness. He also played for Brazil in the 1998 World Cup, as Brazil went on to reach the final once again, only to be defeated by France. He took part in three Copa América's with Brazil, winning the title in 1989 and 1997, whilst earning a runners-up medal in 1995. Aldair won a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and was part of the Brazilian team that won the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup. In addition to these tournaments, Aldair also took part in two friendly tournaments with Brazil, winning the 1995 Umbro Cup, and finishing in second place in the 1997 Tournoi de France. In total, he appeared 81 times for Brazil between 1989 and 2000, scoring three goals.^[12]

Style of play

An elegant and tactically versatile defender, Aldair was capable of playing both as a sweeper and centre back, due to his vision, technical ability and passing range. His confidence on the ball and, in particular, his adeptness at long balls enabled him to advance into midfield and create chances for teammates. Although he was not particularly quick, he was a strong defender who excelled in the air. He also excelled at anticipating opponents with well-timed challenges due to his ability to read the game. In addition to his defensive and technical skills, Aldair was also known for his leadership and sportsmanship throughout his career.^[13]^[14]^[15]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[16]
Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Flamengo	1985	Série A	–	–
	1986	Série A	23	1							23	1
	1987	Série A	7	0							7	0
	1988	Série A	24	2							24	2
	1989	Série A	–	–
	Total		54	3							54	3
Benfica	1989–90	Primeira Divisão	22	5	2	0	8	1	1^[a]	0	33	6
Roma	1990–91	Serie A	29	2	9	0	11	0	—		49	2
	1991–92	Serie A	33	3	3	0	6	0	1^[b]	0	43	3
	1992–93	Serie A	28	2	7	0	7	2	—		42	4
	1993–94	Serie A	12	0	0	0	0	0	—		12	0
	1994–95	Serie A	28	1	5	0	0	0	—		33	1
	1995–96	Serie A	31	0	1	0	7	0	—		39	0
	1996–97	Serie A	32	2	0	0	4	0	—		36	2
	1997–98	Serie A	28	3	6	2	0	0	—		34	5
	1998–99	Serie A	27	0	3	0	7	0	—		37	0
	1999–2000	Serie A	34	1	4	0	8	1	—		46	2
	2000–01	Serie A	15	0	1	0	3	1	—		19	1
	2001–02	Serie A	16	0	1	0	6	0	0	0	23	0
	2002–03	Serie A	17	0	1	0	5	0	—		23	0
	Total		330	14	41	2	64	4	1	0	436	20
Genoa	2003–04	Serie B	17	1	0	0	—		—		17	1
Rio Branco	2005	Série C	–	–	—		—		2^[c]	0	2	0
Murata	2007–08	Campionato Sammarinese	10	0			1	0			11	0
	2008–09	Campionato Sammarinese	–	–			1	0			1	0
	Total		10	0			2	0			12	0
Total			433	23	43	2	74	5	4	0	554	30