The protagonist of the Seleçao beaten by Italy at the World Cup in Spain ended up in prison. Last month he lost his house for failing to pay over twenty years of condominium fees
In Brazil, eliminated at the 1982 World Cup by a hat-trick by Paolo Rossi’s Italy, later world champion, there were champions such as Zico, Falcão, Sócrates, Junior, Éder… and Serginho, a 1.94m centre-forward. Now, at the age of 69, he has once again become a protagonist, this time in the judicial news: he was arrested at a service station in Santos, recognized by a policeman who remembered his criminal charges. An arrest warrant had been issued in his name for not having paid alimony, an accusation that in Brazil costs prison, as had already happened to Romario.
other troubles
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Serginho’s dark period continues, as at the end of August he lost his home – an apartment in Sao Paulo – to cover unpaid condominium expenses of almost 140 thousand euros. The property was put up for auction and in the court decision, published on Brazilian sites, it was written that the former green and gold center forward had not paid the expenses since 1996. Serginho had defended himself by explaining that he had no longer lived in the property since 1994 , when he separated from his wife, who remained the house.
attacks
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Already as a player Serginho had been a protagonist for goals and various controversial episodes. In 1978, when he wore the San Paolo shirt, he was disqualified for 14 months, a punishment later reduced to 11, for having kicked the linesman. Despite everything, he remains the best scorer in the history of the Paulista club with 242 goals in 399 appearances. After playing for other big clubs, he was also a coach, a career interrupted in 1994 when he attacked a journalist during a post-match interview and was fired by Santos. The club then reinstated him in the technical staff and from 2022 has included him in the group of old glories who represent Santos in events and matches.