Silva 'Batuta', Brazilian idol and former Barça player, dies at 80

The former forward Walter Machado da Silva, known as Silva 'Batuta', idol in Brazil and former player of Barcelona, he Racing Argentine and the Junior Colombian, died Tuesday night at age 80 in Rio de Janeiro.

Machado da Silva He had been admitted to a hospital in the capital of Rio de Janeiro for several days and the cause of his death is unknown, although the local press indicated that he was infected with coronavirus.

He marked an era in Brazilian football between the 50s and 70s thanks to his enormous ease in scoring goals and a bizarre history joins him with Barcelona in times of the Franco dictatorship.

Born in Ribeirao Preto, in the state of Sao Paulo, also disputed the 1966 England World Cup, of bad memories for the Canarinha fans and in which he shared a dressing room with figures of the stature of Pele Y Jairzinho.

Revealed by the Sao Paulo, Machado da Silva began to exploit all his scoring nose in the Corinthians, with which he scored 95 goals, and later in the Flamengo, the two most popular teams in Brazil. In the category-black set he raised his first title, the Carioca Championship of 1965. Then he tried his luck at Spain or almost. He Barcelona went behind his signing in the hope that they would lift the ban on the importation of foreign players that had been in force since 1962.

The president of the Barça club at the time, Enrique Llaudet, launched for the signing of the then number 9 of the Brazilian team. It was the summer of 1966. The deal with the player was closed, but many called the operation high risk.

Faced with so many doubts because, among other aspects, the ban on hiring foreigners was still in force, Llaudet released a statement in an interview that would remain for the annals of history. “If he can't play, I'll use him as a driver. I've always wanted a black driver,” said the manager. The phrase generated a lot of controversy at the time for which he had to apologize later.

The Franco regime maintained its position against foreign players, before which Silva 'Batuta' He could only play just 15 friendly matches in which he scored eight goals. Barcelona gave him a season to Saints waiting for the legislation to be changed, which only happened years later, in the 1973-74 season.

At the end, Silva 'Batuta' had to go back to Brazil. Back to Flamengo and then his adventurous spirit led him to the Racing de Avellaneda, where he became the only Brazilian to be the top scorer in a competition in Argentina.

Subsequently, he returned again to River, but to defend the Vasco da Gama, and before retiring in 1975, aged 35, he wore the colors of the Junior from Barranquilla and from Tiquire Flores, of Venezuela.

He Corinthians He regretted this Wednesday on his social networks the death of the prolific former striker, as well as the Flamengo, through its greatest legend, Arthur Antunes Coimbra 'Zico'. “Very sad news the loss of our Silva 'Batuta'. He was the first professional I met in the Flamengo. He was a great idol, “said the legendary midfielder, who currently lives in Japan.