His medical degree and his political awareness, combined with style and quality of his play, earned him the nickname "Doctor Socrates".

Easily recognizable for his beard and headband, Sócrates became the "symbol of cool for a whole generation of football supporters".

Representing Botafogo, Sócrates was the highest goalscorer in the 1976 Campeonato Paulista da Divisão Especial de Futebol Profissional.

His younger brother Raí played in the same position as him and was a member of the Brazilian team that won the World Cup in 1994.

In 2004, more than a decade after retiring, 50-year-old Sócrates agreed to a one-month player-coaching deal with Garforth Town of the Northern Counties East Football League in England.

[13] He made his only appearance for the club on 20 November, against Tadcaster Albion, coming on as a substitute twelve minutes from time.

[18] A former centre-forward, who later made a name for himself as a midfielder, playing in either an attacking or central midfield role, Sócrates was an elegant, talented, and technical playmaker, known for his great through passes, precise long balls, link-up play, and his vision on the field, as well as his physical strength; he was also a two-footed player.

His intelligence and ability to read the game were also highly valued, and his signature move was the blind or "no-look" back-heel pass.

"[27] In addition to his playing ability and intelligence, he was known for his correct behaviour and charismatic presence on the pitch, as well as his leadership in the dressing room, which made him a respected figure among his teammates, while his height, headband, hairstyle, and beard made him a highly recognisable figure on the pitch.

He was equally notorious for not being particularly hard-working or disciplined in his personal life, as he smoked and drank large quantities of beer, once commenting: "I am an anti-athlete.

He was born in Belém, Pará, and relocated with his family to Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, in January 1960 after his father Raimundo earned an important position as revenue supervisor.

This job earned Sócrates' father the status of a small-town hero in Igarapé-Açu, where the family lived at the time.

In a biography written by the journalist Tom Cardoso, it is revealed that the small library Sócrates' father had built in his home, containing philosophy books and other works, came under threat as of the 1964 Brazialian coup d'état.

[34] Sócrates and his teammates protested against the regime's treatment of footballers, and showed support to the wider movement for democratisation by wearing shirts with "Democracia" written on them during games.

Sócrates and his teammates believed they could model how society was supposed to function by making all of the club's decisions through voting.

"[39] By hinging his transfer abroad on the outcome of a constitutional amendment, Socrates' political legacy began to form.

[43][44] On 19 August 2011, he was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo with gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to portal hypertension and was discharged nine days later.

[50] The result matched a professed desire of Sócrates, who had once stated his wish "to die on a Sunday when Corinthians won a trophy".

[51] Fiorentina held a minute's silence before their league match against Roma, and the players wore black armbands in tribute.