His control over the soccer ball was second to none. He often looked lazy on the pitch, but his sudden bursts coupled with brilliant tactical combinations with fellow team-mates like Zico, Careca etc floored many teams. His 1982 outfit must be considered the best team ever not to have won the cup. Even the 1986 outfit was not bad.
A born leader, he seemed to have a natural strut on the field. That '82 team was marvellous - Socrates, Zico, Eder, Franco,etc.
The one blemish of Socrates was his cheating at penalties. He would run in, raise his right foot and then freeze for a good half a second. The GK would have started his dive to one side. Soc would then continue his kick and tap the ball to the other side - Goal! He used this cheating so often that it became well known. The french goalie in '82 was prepared for it. The problem with this technique was that the 'freezing' of the right leg meant 'lack of power' in the final shot. The french goalie patiently waited for the weak shot and knocked it aside.
Many famous sport personalities don't know how to deal with retirement and start drinking. Sad to see Soc also in that list.
During my college days I adored his play in the world cup of that time. He was a wonderfully gifted player, the only blemish was he could not be part of a worldcup winning team of Brazil. Rest In Peace Socrates...
