For other uses, see Vava (disambiguation).
Vavá
FullnameEdvaldo Izídio Neto
Birth date12 November 1934[1]
Birth placeRecife, Brazil
Death date19 January 2002 (aged 67)[2]
Death placeRio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
PositionStriker
Years 11949–1950
Years 21951–1958
Years 31958–1961
Years 41961–1963
Years 51964–1967
Years 61967–1968
Years 71968
Years 81969
Clubs 1Sport Recife
Clubs 2Vasco da Gama
Clubs 3Atlético Madrid
Clubs 4Palmeiras
Clubs 5América
Clubs 6Toros Neza
Clubs 7San Diego Toros
Clubs 8Portuguesa
Caps 2456
Goals 2191
Caps 371
Goals 331
Caps 4142
Goals 471
Caps 728
Goals 75
Totalcaps697
Totalgoals298
Nationalyears 11955–1964
Nationalteam 1Brazil
Nationalcaps 120
Nationalgoals 115
Manageryears 11971–1972
Managerclubs 1Córdoba
Manageryears 21974–1975
Managerclubs 2Córdoba
Manageryears 31977–1978
Managerclubs 3Granada
Manageryears 41984–1985
Managerclubs 4Al Rayyan

Edvaldo Izidio Neto (12 November 1934 – 19 January 2002), commonly known as Vavá, was a Brazilian professional footballer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest strikers of his generation. Nicknamed "Peito de Aço" (Steel Chest), he most notably played for Vasco da Gama, Atlético Madrid, Palmeiras and the Brazil national team.

Career

At club level, Vavá started his career with Sport Recife from 1949 to 1950. Between 1958 and 1961, he played for Atlético Madrid, moving abroad for the first time. Vavá finished his career with Potuguesa de Desportos in 1970.[3]

Vavá earned twenty caps with the Brazil national team between 1955 and 1964, scoring a total of fifteen goals. On 13 November 1955, he debuted in the Oswaldo Cruz Cup against Paraguay.[1] Vavá was part of the team that won both the 1958 and 1962 FIFA World Cups,[4] in which he scored five and four goals respectively. Furthermore, he was a joint-recipient of the 1962 World Cup Golden Boot as one of the tournament's top scorers. Vavá was also part of Brazil's squad for the 1952 Summer Olympics.[5]

Vavá scored in the World Cup finals of both 1958 (twice) and 1962 (once), thus becoming the first player to score in two finals. Only five players have achieved this feat, the other four being Pelé, Paul Breitner, Zinedine Zidane, and Kylian Mbappé. He remained the only player to have scored in two consecutive World Cup final matches until Mbappé achieved the feat in 2022, having also scored in the final in 2018.[6]

Death

On 19 January 2002, Vavá died in a Rio de Janeiro clinic on Saturday aged 67.[2]

Club statistics

Club performanceLeague
SeasonClubLeagueAppsGoals
SpainLeague
1958–59Atlético MadridLa Liga2716
1959–602910
1960–61155
CountrySpain7131
United StatesLeague
1968San Diego TorosNorth American Soccer League285
CountryUnited States285
Total9936

Honours

Club

Sport Recife

Vasco da Gama

Atlético de Madrid

Palmeiras

Club América

International

Brazil national football team

Individual

References

  1. ^ Grohmann, Gustavo. "Vavá Ex-atacante do Vasco, Palmeiras e Seleção" (in Portuguese). UOL.br. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  2. ^ Burnton, Simon (21 January 2002). "Brazilian legend Vava dies aged 67". The Guardian
  3. ^ "Vava, Edvaldo Izidio Neto de son vrai nom" (in French). Sport Histoire. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  4. ^ "Brazil legend Vava dies". BBC News. 20 January 2002.
  5. ^ "Vavá". Olympedia. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  6. ^ Stead, Matt (15 November 2025). "Kylian Mbappe's ridiculous career records". Football365