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Team Index Albirex Niigata Kashima Antlers Omiya Ardija Avispa Fukuoka Shonan Bellmare Cerezo Osaka Consadole Sapporo Ehime FC Kawasaki Frontale Gamba Osaka Nagoya Grampus Gifu FC Mito Hollyhock JEF United Jubilo Iwata Yokohama Marinos Montedio Yamagata Urawa Reds Kashiwa Reysol Roasso Kumamoto Sagan Tosu Sanfrecce Hiroshima Kyoto Sanga Shimizu S-Pulse Thespa Kusatsu FC Tokyo Oita Trinita Vegalta Sendai Ventforet Kofu Tokyo Verdy Vissel Kobe Tokushima Vortis Yokohama FC | |
Carlos Cesar Sampaio Campos emerged as a bright young star in his early years with Santos and Corinthians, as well as with the Brazil national team, but it was his long years of steady performance and gentlemanly grace as a J.League star that will be his most lasting legacy. Some would say that he created the mold for a small, speedy, clever and powerful Brazilian defensive midfielder. He may not have been as well known as some of his teammates in the star-studded team with whom he rode to World Cup glory, his star was certainly a bright one in its own right. It was 1998 when Sampaio reached the zenith of his fame. Brazil had just beaten Chile in the World Cup quarterfinals on a goal by a fellow who few of them had heard of before. Around the world many football fans and even journalists were scratching their heads: Who was this Cesar Sampaio? Yes, one expected Ronaldo, Bebeto, Rivaldo or any other one-named Brazilian to score, but this one had two names, and adding his previous score against Scotland had three decisive headers to his name, putting him ahead of Ronaldo in the scoring table. When people found out that he played his club football in Japan, for the Yokohama Flugels, they were even more amazed. This quiet thirty-something Pentecostal father of two, had definitely inscribed his name in football history. born in Sao Paulo on March 31st, 1968, at age 5 he already ran after the ball with the neighborhood kids and in nearby fields. His football career started with the Sao Paulo indoor soccer team, and in the early 80s he went through all the junior categories of Santos FC. When he was 17 years old he debuted in the principal team of Santos, and in 1987 signed his first professional contract and bought his first car. The 90s started auspiciously with the award of the Brazil Championship Player of the Year (the "Golden Ball") in 1990, a feat he repeated in 1993 playing for Palmeiras. In 1994 Sampaio lifted the Brazilian Championship Cup for the second time for Palmeiras, a appropriate farewell to Brazil before beginning his overseas career, in Japan. No stranger to the canary yellow shirt, Sampaio debuted with the principal Brazil team in 1991, played the Copa America in 1993 and 1995, and contributed in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers, though was overlooked by Parreira in favor of Mauro Silva, for the finals in the USA. Sampaio took that as an invitation to move overseas, to perhaps increase his international profile. But instead of choosing Europe, he came to Japan to join the fledgeling Yokohama Flugels. Sampaio was at the heart of Flugels teams throughout the 1990s, and is probably as closely associated with its image as any of the Japanese players who were his teammates for the five seasons through 1998. In over 120 matches he not only provided the steel for the team's defence, but also was the essential link with attack, scoring 13 goals himself and leading the team in assists for several of the seasons that he was with the club. He was at the top of his game in the 1998 World Cup, but the collapse of the Flugels after the 1998 season, so closely on the heels of hios World Cup success, convinced Sampaio to return to Brazil, at least temporarily. In 1999 he returned to Brazil to wear the captain's armband for Palmeiras, and remained there in 1999 and 2000. In 2000, Sampaio also gave his contribution to the Brazil team in some qualifier matches for World Cup 2002. After some time in Europe, where he had the opportunity of playing in a Champions League campaign for Deportivo La Coruna in 2001, he returned briefly to Brazil for three months with the Corinthians. But by January 2002, he seemed to recognise that his talents were beginning to fade, and returned to Japan, where his quiet personality, religious lifestyle and gentlemanly behaviour were most highly apreciated. He was lured back for the 2002 season by Kashiwa Reysol, and after a year in Kashiwa, he moved to Sanfrecce Hiroshima where he would play the remainder of his career. Throughout his professional and international career, and particularly in his eight seasons in the J.League, Cesar Sampaio was one of the most amiable and well-liked players around. Sampaio was always a deeply religious man, and unlike many who label themselves religious, Sampaio always did his utmost to practice what he preaches. His easy-going nature often obscured his intense competitive drive, but he was always a good example and a role model for teammates, and a man who was always willing to spend time with the younger players trying to sharpen their skills. On a Saturday afternoon in June 2004, Sampaio performed in his last J.League match -- his 156th. As he bowed in farewell, the crowd waved Brazilian flags and chanted "Sampaio! Sampaio!" and "Obrigado" (thank you). Sanfrecce manager Takeshi Ono gave perhaps the best summary of his impact on the J.League, noting that "Japanese youngsters can learn from Sampaio. And they can learn even more from him off the field as on the field". Sampaio has earned his coaching license and will began a coaching career, but has visited Japan many times in the subsequent years. Quite apart from his impressive statistics, Sampaio made an enormous contribution to Japanese football during its early years, as one of the finest gentlemen ever to grace a J.League pitch.
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