Gilmar - Brazil

Pele’s Goalkeeper.

Irespective of the fact that Gilmar was an amazing talent, amassing an incredible 104 international caps where he allowed only 95 goals over a carrer that spanned three (3) World Cup Appearances (two victories), eight (8) league titles as well as the FIFA Order of Merit (in 1998) – he will quite simply always be known as ‘Pele’s goaltender.”

Gylmar (as he was simply known) was a stoic shot-stopper that imbued a sense of calm into his teammates that served as a foil to the offensive flash of what was, and still remains, the essense of Brazilian football.

If Gylmar were to be compared to a footballer from the Founder’s era he would, by all accounts, be on par with Liverpool legend (“sure and steady”), Sam Hardy. Immensely talented, won everywhere (and on every level) that he played and in doing so maintained a sense of humility and compsure that made him a great leader both on and off of the pitch.

As again with Hardy, it’s the lack of flash and pomp that made Gylmar an easy first choice and a manger’s dream. Ironically, these qualities seem to have somewhat made him less attractive to card collectors as opposed to some of his other notable contemporaries.

Adding to this, both Santos and the Brazilian national teams of the ‘50s and ‘60s were loaded with talent all of whom for the most part, stood in the shadow of Pele.

Notable Accomplishments

Campeonato Paulista: 1951, ’52 and ’54;
Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A: 1962, ’63, ’64, ’65 and ’68;
Campeonato Paulista: 1962, ’64, ’65, ’67 and ‘68
COPA Liberadores: 1962 and 1963;
World Cup Champions: 1958 and 1962
IFHHS Best Brazilian Goalkeeper 20th Century
FIFA Order of Merit: 1998

CARDBOARD NOTES
As Gylmar played in 3 World Cups, he has a strong presence in all of the international sets between 1958 and 1966. These issues mostly feature Gylmar in his Brazilian kit. Probably the most sought after Innternational card of Gylmar is found in the ’58 Alfa set from Sweden though it certainly pails in comparison to Pele’s issue from that set.

Gylmar’s Alfa card use to be readily availbale for under $100 in excellent condition (most of the Alfas are often found in excellent condition given their smaller siize and since they weren’t produced for the purpose of being placed into an album) however, with the recent sales of the ’58 Alfa Pele, it seems as though “Set” inflation has kicked-in and all of Pele’s supporting teammates in the Alfa set are now experiencing significant bumps in their card’s values as well.

Gylmar can also be found in the action photos from the 1958 Bremmer set out of Germany which, is not a particularly visual impressive set however, it is rare as production was limited to the area of Bremen and these cards continue to have a certain niche of collectors that passionately chase them. Again, these cards are often found with glue residue on the reverse. By 1962, Gylmar is well settled in many sets. As again, although Gylmar was immensely talented, colelctors do not seem to chase his cardboard with any real great sense of urgency. My personal favorite from this year is the 1962 San Giorgio set but there are several other great sets to consider as well.

That aside, there are several cards that were issued in Brasil before Gylmar’s selection for the National team that depict him in Club kits for both Cornthians and Santos. Although they are all rare, the 1955 Vecchi set is probably the most often seen from this era. The problem with the Vecchi cards and all of the early ‘50s Brazilian issues (i.e. Balas) is that
they are often in very poor condition. When they can be found, the Brazilian issues usually have significant paper loss on the reverse as well as other damage resulting from being removed from an album and trying to survive in the very un-collector-friendly environment of 1950s South America.