At his son’s first birthday party, one of the most famous footballers on the planet caused a stir by feeding beer and whisky to a chimpanzee named Pedrinho, who was kitted out in an Adidas tracksuit.
That sentence might seem outlandish, but maybe not for Edmundo – a player nicknamed ‘The Animal’. Predictably, the former Brazil striker had gone all out for the celebration, even bringing a circus into his garden. Animal rights activists were predictably incensed, but Edmundo stood firm, claiming he hadn’t crossed a line.
It’s just one of Edmundo’s notorious escapades. Throughout his career, he not only had run-ins with managers and team-mates, but also was involved in a fatal car accident that killed three people, abandoned his team for the Rio Carnival, and engaged in a fierce rivalry with fellow Selecao goal machine Romario.
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His nickname ‘The Animal’ is well-earned, and it was coined by commentator Osmar Santos during a match between Palmeiras and Guarani in 1993.
Reflecting on his unique nickname, Edmundo remarked: “Of course, it has positive and negative connotations. Compared to other nicknames like ‘The Phenomenon’ or ‘The Emperor’, it could be less dubious. But mine is unique.”
Born and raised in Niteroi, near Rio de Janeiro, Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto is known as Edmundo. But what exactly did he do to earn his nickname?
He was a quick, technically gifted, strong and intelligent footballer, who sharpened his skills through “ofutevoley”, a beach volleyball variant played solely with the feet. However, he was also known for his fiery temper.
Over 17 years, Edmundo played for 13 different clubs, often leaving under controversial circumstances. His career began at Vasco de Gama in 1991, but after two years, he moved to Palmeiras where he frequently butted heads with manager Wanderley Luxemburgo.
Eventually, he was sacked for fighting with team-mate Antonio Carlos. In a 2017 interview on ESPN’s Bola da Vez, Carlos rated Edmundo “10 as a player and 0 as a person”, revealing that the sentiment was mutual.
In total, Edmundo scored 10 goals in 39 outings for Brazil, but he was controversially left out of the 1994 World Cup winning squad, and often struggled to displace legends like Bebeto, Romario and Ronaldo.
Edmundo then joined Flamengo, where in 1995, he and Romario released a rap song titled ‘Rap Dos Bad Boys’, warning against causing trouble. One of their messages was “don’t cause trouble”. If only they practised what they preached.
By this time, both Edmundo and Romario were notorious for their hard play and harder partying. Edmundo’s darkest hour came in December 1995 while playing for Flamengo.
After a night out, he was driving a Jeep Cherokee that collided with a Fiat during the Rio Carnival, resulting in the death of three people, including a young woman who was his passenger.
Initially, he was found guilty of “culpable homicide”, akin to involuntary manslaughter, and handed a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence. However, due to appeals, his time behind bars was minimal.
Reflecting on the ordeal in 2012, after Brazil’s Supreme Court decided he no longer had a case to answer because the statute of limitations had expired, he expressed relief but acknowledged the ongoing pain for the victims’ families.
“This puts a full stop to something which has tormented me for 15 years,” he said. “I am happy but I have on my conscience the fact that the suffering of the families will never end. I have to carry on but I can never forget what happened.”
His stint with Flamengo was short-lived, as he sought a new beginning with Corinthians, only to depart before playing a game amid rumours of a training ground altercation.
Edmundo then ventured to Europe, joining Italian giants Fiorentina in 1998, where he shared the pitch with football luminaries such as Rui Costa and Gabriel Batistuta.
Despite his talent, conflicts ensued, including disputes with teammates and run-ins with manager Giovanni Trapattoni. A particularly notable episode occurred during the 1998-99 season when Fiorentina was leading Serie A.
Edmundo invoked a ‘carnival clause’ in his contract to attend the Rio Carnival, returning two days late, much to his team-mates’ chagrin.
Upon his return, Trapattoni frankly told him: “It’s time to stop screwing around. It’s time you grew up and became responsible because without a head on your shoulders you won’t get anywhere despite your talent.”
But he didn’t take heed. Firstly, he left the club in April 1999. Secondly, Edmundo got wrapped up in a long-lasting spat with former mate Romario – one that in fairness, Romario began.
Unhappy that Edmundo had been selected for Brazil’s 1998 World Cup squad, after he was controversially left out due to a torn right calf muscle and escalating tensions with the team’s management, the 1994 World Cup talisman placed a rather uncomplimentary image of his rap buddy outside the toilets in his bar in Rio.
Clearing the air about the inflammatory drawing, Edmundo said: “I called him to ask for an explanation. He didn’t convince me. For this reason, I decided to finish my friendship with him.”
Next up was the notorious “chimp-gate” incident and despite his troubled relationship with Romario, together on the field at Vasco de Gama in 1999, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Even against Manchester United’s defence in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad – who had infamously sacrificed the FA Cup to be there – were thrashed 3-1 and dumped out of the tournament.
‘The Animal’ intercepted a weak back-pass from Gary Neville to gift Romario the opener, who then bagged a second thanks to another embarrassing Neville gaffe.
Edmundo then scored a wonder goal – one of the best in the history of the competition – by flicking the ball with a Maradona-esque touch to evade Mikael Silvestre, then spinning past him and beating Mark Bosnich.
Football wise, things soon got worse for Edmundo. He was kicked off the Vasca team by vice-president Eurico Miranda for discipline issues and over the next eight years had 11 spells at clubs in Brazil, Italy and Japan.
By the time he hung up his boots in 2008, he’d had five spells at Vasco. In total, he scored 177 goals in 377 games. The relationship between him, Vasco and Palmeiras was as perplexing as it was fascinating.
He described it thus: “I love Vasco like a mother; I was born there. Palmeiras is like my wife. I can’t say that I love my mum or my wife more.”
Edmundo’s life away from the pitch took a positive turn as he worked as a pundit on Brazilian TV. Little is known about his life these days, but one thing is for certain – this firecracker of a player left quite the mark on football, in and out of Brazil.