Afonso Celso Garcia Reis – better known as Afonsinho – began his football career in 1962 and three years later was a midfielder with the Brazilian club Botafogo.
So Afonsinho fought a long legal battle with Botafogo and in 1971 won the right to negotiate his own services in order to change clubs without the need for outside interference or approval.
In doing so, he blazed a trail for Brazilian men's footballers of future generations to exercise their own labour rights and maintain firmer control over their own careers.
According to his fellow players, Alfonsinho was a great thinker and wasn't afraid to expressed his views during the time Brazil was ruled by a brutal military government.
During that time keeping long beard was regarded as a symbol of revolution, Afonsinho was never selected to play for Brazil’s national team because of his outspoken views but also Brazil never won a World Cup during his isolated time as a player until 1994, 24 years later after 1970 World Cup triumph in Mexico – but he did qualify as a doctor and at age 76, still passionate enough about football that he finds time to coach young football players, both boys and girls together with another young coach who helped him to teach the young players about modern football as well as moral behavior near his home on Paqueta Island in Rio.