Zague (footballer, born 1934)

Zague
Personal information
Full name	José Alves dos Santos
Date of birth	10 August 1934
Place of birth	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Date of death	19 January 2021 (aged 86)
Place of death	São Paulo, Brazil
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team
	Botafogo
1956–1961	Corinthians
1961–1969	América
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Alves dos Santos, nicknamed Zague (10 August 1934 – 19 January 2021)^[2] was a Brazilian footballer. Among the teams he played for were Corinthians in his home country, and Club América in Mexico.

Club career

Zague was only one of several high-profile signings made in the early years of Emilio Azcárraga Milmo's ownership of Club América. Azcárraga, the owner of the Mexican television network Televisa, purchased both Zague and Francisco Moacyr, another Brazilian, prior to the 1961-1962 season.

As a striker, Zague would rarely leave the opposing penalty box or run towards the ball, instead preferring to let other players pass to him so he could shoot from a comfortable distance. For these reasons, he was known as "The Lone Wolf" by media and fans alike.

Alves scored 102 goals for Club América, of which 86 were made for the Aguilas during league competitions. He also won the Golden Boot after the 1965-66 season, in which he scored 20 goals.

Personal life

Zague was born in Bahia, Brazil. He was the father of Luís Roberto Alves, nicknamed Zaguinho and Zague, who would also go on to play for Club América and for the Selección de fútbol de México (Mexico national team) because Luis Roberto was born in Mexico, during his father's playing days for América.