Roberto Falcão was a commanding and cultured midfielder, one of the finest Brazilian players of his generation and the driving force of the celebrated national side of the early 1980s. His time in Italy with Roma was so influential that supporters dubbed him the ‘eighth king of Rome’.
At Roma he combined graceful passing with genuine steel, helping the club to a Serie A title, while for Brazil he was central to the beguiling, ultimately unfortunate team of the 1982 World Cup, remembered as one of the great sides never to win the tournament.