FORMER Brazil striker Edmundo was quite the maverick during his playing days.
The 51-year-old, whose full name is Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto, scored 10 goals from 37 caps for the Selecao between 1992 and 2000.
Nicknamed “The Animal”, Edmundo’s antics ranged from punching his opponents during matches to getting animals drunk.
The latter episode came at his son’s first birthday party no less, with Edmundo pictured giving a chimp named Pedrinho a beer.
He later appeared on the cover of FHM sharing a pint with the monkey which had donned a full Adidas tracksuit.
And it did not stop there, with the Samba star having an intense love of the party lifestyle.
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During his breakthrough season with Vasco de Gama in 1991/92, Edmundo scored 29 goals in 28 games but was sent off a staggering seven times.
After two years at the club, Edmundo found himself being sacked after fighting team-mate Antonio Carlos.
In a 2017 interview with Bola da vez, Carlos recalled what Edmundo was like as a team-mate, describing him as “10 as a player and 0 as a person.”
By 1995 Edmundo has struck up a partnership with fellow Brazilian Romario, with the pair releasing a rap song together.
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The pair were known for their party antics, with Edmundo even being spotted alongside Argentine legend Diego Maradona.
However, his partying would eventually lead to his darkest moment.
In December 1995 Edmundo was behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee when it collided with a Fiat, killing three people including his passenger, a young woman.
He was initially handed a four-and-a-half year sentence after being convicted of “culpable homicide”, similar to involuntary manslaughter, but appeals meant he barely served any jail time.
The Brazilian eventually found his way to Europe in 1998, appearing for Serie A side Fiorentina.
Perhaps predictably, he clashed with team-mates and coaches before going AWOL in the middle of the season as the club chased a historic Serie A title.
This was because he had activated the “carnival clause” of his contract, which allowed him to return to Brazil for the Rio festival.
Two days later he had returned to a squad of unhappy team-mates, with manager Giovanni Trapattoni telling him: “It’s time to stop screwing around.
“It’s time you grew up and became responsible because without a head on your shoulders you won’t get anywhere despite your talent.”
It was advice he did not take on board, falling out with old friend Romario later that year after Brazil legend – slighted by Edmundo’s inclusion in the World Cup squad – put a caricature of him in his bar in Rio.
But the pair would put their differences aside to star up front together for Vasco da Gama.
This was shown by the way they dismantled Manchester United’s treble winners in a 3-1 victory in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship.
Edmundo’s troubles continued to plague him until his retirement in 2008.
He had graced – or disgraced – 13 different clubs across his 17-year career, which included ten in his final eight years.
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Vasco were a repeat stopping point for him, having FIVE separate stints at the club before hanging up his boots there.
After retirement he moved into punditry on Brazilian TV.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
