Nelinho

Nelinho, born Manoel Rezende de Mattos Cabral in Rio in 1950, appeals to me as a glorious contradiction. A right back by trade, he is remembered for thunderous, improbable long-range goals, the defender who could win you a match from his own half. Playing for both Belo Horizonte rivals, Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro, took nerve, and he represented Brazil at two World Cups. I have a soft spot for full backs who attack like forwards, because they bend the position into something more daring. A six-foot Brazilian carrying samba rhythm down the flank, affectionately shrunk to one fond nickname, is exactly my kind of footballer.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

Name (English)

Nelinho

Name (Japanese)

マノエウ・レゼンデ・デ・マットス・カブラウ

Reading

まのえう・れぜんで・で・まっとす・かぶらう

Born

July 26, 1950 (age 76)

Origin

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Height

180 cm

Occupation

association football player / association football coach

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Leo / Tiger

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelinho
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%83%8E%E3%82%A8%E3%82%A6%E3%83%BB%E3%83%AC%E3%82%BC%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%BB%E3%83%87%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AB%E3%83%96%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A6
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q919825

Tags

• Rio de Janeiro
• association football player
• association football coach

Last updated

September 18, 2026

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.