Amaral (footballer, born 1954)

For other people named João Amaral, see João Amaral (disambiguation).

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Amaral and the second or paternal family name is dos Santos.

João Justino Amaral dos Santos, known as Amaral or Amaral II (Portuguese pronunciation: [amaˈɾaw]; 25 December 1954 – 31 May 2024), was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a defender.^[1]

Amaral

Personal information
Full name	João Justino Amaral dos Santos
Date of birth	(1954-12-25)25 December 1954
Place of birth	Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
Date of death	31 May 2024(2024-05-31) (aged 69)
Place of death	São Paulo, Brazil
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1971–1978	Guarani	176	(1)
1979–1981	Corinthians	133	(1)
1981–1982	Santos	35	(0)
1982–1984	América (MEX)
1984–1986	Leones Negros UdG	186	(3)
1987	Blumenau	0	(0)
International career
1975–1980	Brazil	40	(0)
Medal record Men's association football Representing  Brazil FIFA World Cup 1978 Argentina Team
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

At club level he played for Guarani (1971–1978), Corinthians (1978–1981), Santos (1981–1982), in Mexico with Leones Negros de la Universidad de Guadalajara (1981–1985),^[2] and closed his career in 1987 with Blumenau.

Amaral won one Campeonato Paulista (1979) with Corinthians and one Mexican First Division (1983–84) with Club América.

At international level, he was capped 41 times by the Brazil national team, from August 1975 to June 1980, and with them he won the Bicentennial Tournament in 1976 and participated in seven games at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where the team finished third.^[3]

Death

On 31 May 2024, Amaral died from cancer in São Paulo, at the age of 69.^[4]

Honours

Corinthans

• Campeonato Paulista: 1979

América

• Liga MX: 1983–84

Brazil

• USA Bicentennial Cup: 1976
• Taça do Atlântico: 1976
• Copa Rio Branco: 1976
• Copa Roca: 1976