CESAR SAMPAIO
Palmeiras & Brazil
Full Name: Carlos Cesar Sampaio Campos
Date of Birth: March 31, 1968
Birthplace: São Paulo, Brazil
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Previous Clubs: Santos (Brazil), Yokohama Flugels (Japan)
Got the nod over Mauro Silva for one of the defensive midfield places in the Brazilian World Cup squad. However, his positioning at set pieces and his powerful headers turned him into one of Brazil's most dangerous attacking assets at France '98. "My strong point has always been my consistency," says Cesar Sampaio. "I have never been a regular goalscorer and that has never been my intention."
The player himself said that when he moved to Japan three years ago to join Yokohama Flugels, he was kissing his international career goodbye. "I'm very happy in Japan, but when I went there I didn't think I would be playing for the national team any more," he says. Made his debut for Brazil in 1991. Played in the 1993 and 1995 Copa America tournaments but was overlooked for the 1994 World Cup.
Off the field, Cesar Sampaio is deeply religious and spends much of the long hours at the Brazilian team camp organizing bible-reading sessions with some of his team mates. His declarations are peppered with references to the bible and God, whose will is often cited as the main reason for Brazil's success. "I'm not the party type," he says. "I have nothing against those who like to go out but I like to stay in my little corner."
