Former Brazil great Socrates, the clever playmaker who captained Brazil at the 1982 World Cup, died Sunday. He was 57. Known for his elegant style on the field and his deep involvement with Brazilian politics, Socrates died of septic shock resulting from an intestinal infection, according to a statement by the Albert Einstein hospital. Socrates was twice hospitalized and placed in intensive care in the last few months, most recently in September. Both times he was admitted for hemorrhage caused by high pressure in the vein that carries blood from the digestive system to the liver. Socrates is survived by his wife and six children. Known as Dr. Socrates because of his practice of medicine, he was the main commentator on a weekly TV sports program and was constantly in demand from local media for interviews on varied subjects. Socrates, whose full name is Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, starred for Corinthians in the early 1980s, but he also played for Flamengo, Santos and Fiorentina in Italy. The tall full-bearded playmaker captained Brazil in the 1982 World Cup in Spain and was a member of the squad in 1986 in Mexico. The 1982 Brazilian team became widely known as the best not to win a World Cup. With players like Zico and Falcao, it fell to Italy 3-2 in the second round despite only needing a draw to advance to the semifinals. Born on Feb. 19, 1954 in Belem, a northern city on the banks of the Amazon river, Socrates started out at Botafogo-Ribeirao Preto where he became their top player despite also studying at the local university. He joined Sao Paulo club Corinthians in 1978 and stayed for six years.
