Sampaio, Cesar

Deportivo La Coruña & Brazil

Birthdate: March 31, 1968
Birthplace: São Paulo, Brazil
Height: 1.82 mts
Weight: 76 kgs
Position: Defensive Midfielder
International: 37 caps, 5 goals (as of August 19, 2000)
World Cups: 1 (1998)
Previous Clubs: Santos, Yokohama Flugels, Palmeiras
Transfer Fee: -
Defensive midfielder whose main task is to protect the defence. Experienced warhorse who has returned to Palmeiras after four years in Japanese soccer. A regular in Brazil's 1998 World Cup side and the great Palmeiras side of the early 1990s. Made his debut for Brazil in 1991. Played in the 1993 and 1995 Copa America tournaments but was overlooked for the 1994 World Cup. Off the field, Cesar Sampaio is deeply religious and spends much of the long hours at the Brazilian team camp organizing bible-reading sessions with some of his team mates. His declarations are peppered with references to the bible and God, whose will is often cited as the main reason for Brazil's success.