Antônio Lima dos Santos


Antônio Lima dos Santos, known as Lima is a Brazilian retired footballer. Widely known for his versatility, he played mainly as a defensive midfielder, but also acted as a full back at either sides and as a central defender.

Club career

Born in São Sebastião do Paraíso, Minas Gerais, Lima joined Juventus-SP's youth setup at early age and was promoted to the first team in 1959. In 1961, already a first-choice, he moved to Santos, becoming a starter at the right back as the club's midfielder was captain Zito.
Lima only moved to his original position in 1965, after the arrival of Carlos Alberto Torres. He left the club in 1971 after accepting an offer from Jalisco, ending his time at Santos by playing nearly 700 matches and winning every title that a Brazilian club team could win at that time, most notably the Intercontinental Cup of 1962 and 1963; at the latter's final, he trademarked his versatility after playing as a striker.
In 1974, Lima returned to Brazil and joined Fluminense. In the following year, he represented Tampa Bay Rowdies for the final two matches of the 1975 NASL Indoor tournament, and ended his career with Portuguesa Santista.

International career

He earned 6 caps for the Brazil national football team, and was part of the team at the 1966 FIFA World Cup.