The Olympic village of the Paris 2024 Games inaugurated this Saturday a street named in honor of the Brazilian footballer Sócrates, also known as ‘the Doctor’, for his talent as an athlete and his political commitment in defense of democracy.
The event took place in the commune of Saint-Ouen, in the department of Saint-Denis and was led by the French sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, and by the younger brother of the emblematic Brazilian player, the also footballer Raí.
“I have seen images of Socrates, it was nice to see him play, but he also had a transformative force, against dictatorship, against poverty,” noted Oudéa-Castéra at the inauguration.
Attendees paid tribute to the emblematic footballer by emulating his celebratory gesture with his right fist raised.
The Sports Minister also thanked Raí for his presence and highlighted that “embodies the friendship between France and Brazil”, in addition to thanking him for his role at Paris Saint-Germain as a player and now at Paris Football Club as a manager.
The new road is named Doctor Socrates Street and is part of the Olympic village that will be home to up to 14,250 athletes during this summer’s Games. Later that space will become a residential neighborhood.
The illustrious career of Socrates
The ‘Doctor’, whose full name was Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, was born in Belém de Pará in 1954 and died in São Paulo in December 2011.
International with his country, he wore the colors of several Brazilian teams, such as the Botafogo Futebol Clube in which he began and concluded his professional career, and those of the Italian Fiorentina.
His debut with the senior team came in 1979, and since then he became a leader on and off the field. His nickname, “Doctor,” came from his medical degree, which he earned while playing professional football.
Sócrates was the main figure of the “canarinha” in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where Brazil displayed colorful football and offensive that the world fell in love with. Despite not winning the title, Sócrates and his team became a football legend.
Sócrates played 63 games for the Brazilian team and scored 22 goals. He participated in two World Cups (1982 and 1986) and in the 1983 Copa América, where Brazil became champion.
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