Statue of Bellini – Maracanã
“It´s agreed then! We´ll meet at the statue of Bellini.”
The monument ´For the World Football Champions´ or the ´Bellini Statue´, as it is more commonly known, is a traditional meeting point for fans when there is a match at the Maracanã Stadium. It is also a popular tourist attraction in Rio de Janeiro. It was originally conceived as a tribute to the captain and the Brazilian squad that won the country’s first World Cup in Sweden in 1958.
Monument to the world football champions in 1969. Photo: Cariocadorio site
Hilderaldo Luís Bellini had been making a name for himself as a defender for Vasco da Gama (1952–1962) when he was called up for the 1958 World Cup. He was a classic defender, a tough player. Nelson Rodrigues ironically wrote about his style of playing: “Playing in defense, Bellini kicks the ball too.” Whether for his style or his leadership, he was chosen as the captain of the squad that included legends such as Nilton Santos, Zito, Didi, Zagallo, and Pelé.
The 1958 Squad. Photo: Museu da Pelada site
The statue was created by the visual artist Matheus Fernandes, a professor at the Municipal Institute of Fine Arts. It is made of bronze, stands 9 meters tall, and weighs approximately 3 tons. The sculpture depicts a football player standing on a granite globe, holding a ball in one hand. His other hand is raised and is holding the Jules Rimet Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the FIFA World Cup. The entire ensemble is set atop a stone pedestal.
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The idea of honoring the 1958 World Cup champions gained momentum in early 1960, driven by the newspaper Jornal dos Sports and the radio program Noite de Gala, sponsored by the home appliance chain Rei da Voz. Although it remains uncertain who originally conceived the tribute, it is clear that both entities sponsored it and made it happen.
Face frontal do pedestal da estátua – placa com os patrocinadores da homenagem. Foto: Matheus Avellar
The statue was unveiled on 13 November, 1960, on Avenida Maracanã, in front of one of the access ramps to the stadium. The ceremony was attended by several World Cup winners, as well as João Havelange, then president of the Brazilian Sports Confederation, and the patrons of the tribute: the journalist Mário Filho who was the editor-in-chief of Jornal dos Sports and the businessman, Abraham Medina, who owned the chain Rei da Voz.
The inauguration ceremony of the monument was attended by several players who were champions in Sweden as well as João Havelange, Mário Filho, and Abraham Medina. / Photo: Personal Archive
Although everyone knows it as the Bellini Statue, the lack of resemblance between the face of the 1958 squad captain and the face depicted on the statue has sparked some controversy. Some claim it is the face of the singer Francisco Alves, known as the Rei da Voz, the same name as the chain of stores that sponsored the statue. Others insist that it looks like the journalist Hamilton Sbarra, from whom the sculptor, Matheus Fernandes, allegedly requested a photograph to serve as a model for the head of the piece. Despite the debate surrounding the face, it is known that the defender Bellini posed for at least two sessions with the sculptor.
The eternalized gesture: Bellini holding up the trophy/Photo: Giuseppe Bizzarr (left) and O Cruzeiro/EM/D.A Press (right)
Despite the controversies the monument immortalized captain Bellini´s unprecedented gesture, marking the beginning of an era of Brazilian football dominance on the world stage, crowned with the 1962 and 1970 victories. This helped the country overcome what Nelson Rodrigues famously called the “mutt complex” (complexo de vira-latas), at least in the arena of football. In 1998 and 2011, new plaques were added to the statue’s pedestal with the names of the World Cup champions from 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002, who also came to be honored by the monument.
Details of the bronze plaques on the pedestal / Photos: Matheus Avellar
