Oberdan Cattani

Brazillian football player (1919-2014)

Oberdan Cattani (June 12, 1919 – June 20, 2014) was a Brazilian football player at the position of Goalkeeper. He played for Palmeiras from 1940 to 1954. Of tall stature, big hands and elasticity, his defenses made him one of the most famous Brazilian goalkeepers of the 40s, a period in which the Second World War prevented the holding of the World Cups. Oberdan was described by opponents as an agile goalkeeper with great physical strength. A hallmark of Oberdan was that he could hold the ball with just one hand.[1] Considered as one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation.

Oberdan Cattani
Oberdan Cattani in 1942
Personal information
Full name Oberdan Cattani
Date of birth (1919-06-12)June 12, 1919
Place of birth Sorocaba, Brazil
Date of death June 20, 2014(2014-06-20) (aged 95)
Place of death São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1940–1954 Palmeiras 351 (0)
1954–1955 Juventus 26 (0)
Total 377 (0)
National team
1944–1945 Brazil 9 (0)
Honours
Men's Football
Representing  Brazil
Copa América
Runner-up 1945 Chile
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

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Oberdan Cattani was the son of Italian immigrants from the Tuscany region. He was a truck driver when he took his first test, on a day off from work. Introduced before by his brother, he was hired in 1940, remaining at the club until 1954, having played 351 matches with Palmeiras.[1]

His name is among the biggest idols of Palmeiras. In his curriculum for the club, there are four titles of Campeonato Paulista (1942, 1944, 1947 and 1950), the Tournament Rio-São Paulo of 1951 and the Copa Rio Internacional of 1951. The tournament, which was created with the aim of being a Club World Cup. In the conquest, Oberdan was in the reserve of the goalkeeper Fábio Crippa.[2]

On April 24, 1955, Oberdan was honored in São Carlos by the "Association of Sports Chroniclers of São Carlos", with a cup.

International career

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He made his debut for the Brazilian team in 1944 with whom he won the Roca Cup in 1945, and he finished as runners-up during 1945 Copa América.

Personal life and death

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Cattani was born in Sorocaba, São Paulo. He died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aged 95 in 2014.[3]

Honours

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Palmeiras
Seleção Paulista
Brazil

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 "Oberdan Cattani". Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  2. "Oberdan, profissional exemplar". A Gazeta Esportiva (SP). Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  3. "Eterno ídolo palestrino, Oberdan Cattani morre aos 95 anos de idade". Palmeiras.com.br. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-21.