Stats by Nacho1605, with help from Bola Clássica

Name: Petronilho de Brito

Nicknames: "Petro", "La Maravilla Negra"



Country: Brazil
Club: E.C. Sírio / San Lorenzo
Shirt Number: -
Position: ★CF, SS
Side: RF/RS
Age: 26-30 years (31/05/1904)

Height: 168 cm (Approx.)
Weight: 66 kg (Approx.)

Attack: 88
Defence: 26
Balance: 73
Stamina: 80
Top Speed: 81
Acceleration: 84
Response: 78
Agility: 83
Dribble Accuracy: 83
Dribble Speed: 72
Short Pass Accuracy: 75
Short Pass Speed: 71
Long Pass Accuracy: 68
Long Pass Speed: 67
Shot Accuracy: 83
Shot Power: 84
Shot Technique: 87
Free Kick Accuracy: 60
Swerve: 63
Heading: 73
Jump: 85
Technique: 83
Aggression: 86
Mentality: 72
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team work: 67

Injury Tolerance: C
Condition/Fitness: 4
Weak Foot Accuracy: 5
Weak Foot Frequency: 5
Consistency: 5
Growth type: Standard

CARDS:
P03 - Trickster
P13 - Goal Poacher
P15 - Free Roaming
S05 - 1-Touch Play

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Tactical Dribble - Scoring - Middle Shooting - 1-Touch Pass

Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Attack-Minded

INFO:
Petronilho de Brito was a Brazilian footballer who played as a center-forward. Born in São Paulo, Brazil (31/05/1904), he began his sports career at Antártica Futebol Clube in his native São Paulo. In 1922, he was sold to Minas Geraes Foot-Ball Club, where, in his debut—a 4-4 draw against Associação Atlética Vila Isabel—apart from scoring all 4 goals his team scored, he is recognized as the first person to score a bicycle kick goal in Brazilian football. In 1925, he was transferred to E.C. Sírio, also scoring in his debut, a 1-1 draw against Ipiranga. That same year, Petronilho would earn his first call-up to the São Paulo State Team, being the substitute for the great Arthur Friedenreich. The following year, Petronilho, once again called up for the São Paulo State Team, became the top scorer of the Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais, the most important football tournament in Brazil at the time, with 13 goals. In 1927, he was sold to C.A. Independência, of the Liga dos Amadores de Football (until then, Petronilho had only been competing in the Associação Paulista de Esportes Atléticos), and that same year, he was called up for his first match with the Brazilian National Team: a 5-0 victory over Scotland's Motherwell F.C. In 1929, he returned to E.C. Sírio, being called up again by Brazil for two friendlies against Uruguay's Rampa Juniors and the Hungarian National Team, also consolidating himself as the best forward in São Paulo, along with Feitiço and Friedenreich, whom the newspapers of the time began calling the "Golden Trio." After superb performances in the Paulistão, in 1933, he was sold to C.A. San Lorenzo de Almagro in Argentina, becoming the first Black Brazilian to play abroad. In his first season at San Lorenzo, he managed to repeat the incredible performances he had been delivering in Brazil, becoming the star of the team that won the Primera División championship for the first time in the professional era that year. Petronilho would retire in 1935, playing for San Lorenzo, in a friendly for the Brazilian National Team in which they defeated River Plate 2-1.

According to journalist Salathiel de Campos in his report "O Homem Negro no Esporte Bandeirante" (1934), Petronilho—or Petro, as he was known in Brazil—was a short-statured forward with quick and bewildering dribbling, as well as an amazing improvisational ability. Agile, with a great goal-scoring instinct, capable of scoring all kinds of goals, acrobatic or long-range, and as mentioned earlier, he is considered the inventor of the bicycle kick in Brazil. Petro, thanks to his fervent fight for the rights of people of color in Brazil, is considered the first great Black athlete of São Paulo, being the first openly Black footballer to be called up to the São Paulo State Team. His participation in various matches played by a team of Black footballers is remembered, which were used as preparation for the 1930 FIFA World Cup (to which Petro, along with several other Paulista players, would have been called up if not for a dispute between APEA and CBD). In 1929, the Black team defeated the Rio de Janeiro State Team by a total of 3 to 2, and then the following year, they defeated a team of the best white players in Brazil by a total of 4 to 0, with Petro scoring twice. Although his memory has faded over time due to the emergence of other Black stars in Brazil, such as Leônidas da Silva (who was initially called "The Carioca Petronilho"), it is important to remember Petro as one of Brazil's first great football idols, as well as one of the most important forwards in the history of Paulista football.