José Macia

Who is José Macia?

Pepe, real name José Macia, is a former association footballer and manager. He was left winger for Santos F.C. and the Brazilian national team. His nickname was "Canhão da Vila", because of his potent kick with his left leg and the fact that Santos plays in the Estádio Urbano Caldera, nicknamed Vila Belmiro.

He claims to be "the greatest human striker in the history of Santos FC – because Pelé is not human".

Pepe received 41 caps with the Brazil national football team, and won both the 1958 and 1962 World Cups. However, he did not appear in any matches in both tournaments. In these years he scored an astonishing 95 goals.

He started his manager career in 1973, coaching Santos. In the same year, he won the Campeonato Paulista. He went on to manage several other Brazilian clubs, including São Paulo and Guarani and Boavista. His coaching career brought him to Asia, where he coached in Japan and Qatar. He coached Al Sadd from 1983 till 1984, and succeeded in winning the Emir of Qatar Cup. He also coached Al Ahli from 2004 till 2005, where Spanish legend Pep Guardiola was under his supervision.