Socrates, the Brazilian football player recently died aged 57 and the whole of Brazil are mourning his death. He died on Sunday night due to an intestinal infection which led to septic shock. In his later life he also became a political activist. His agent has announced that he had recently been suffering from complications associated with him having cirrhosis of the liver.
It is well-known that the player was suffering with an addiction to cigarettes and alcohol. His agent has said, “He was in hospital three times before he eventually confronted his addictions and saw his recovery as a chance to fight them however, ultimately, he was unable to.”
During the military dictatorship which gripped Brazil he was known as a fighter for democracy and had a strong intellect. As well as being a football player he was also a qualified doctor and is still regarded by FIFA is one of the hundred greatest players to have ever played the game.
He has played in two World Cup finals in his career, which did not start until he was 24, which is an unusually late age to join professional football. Over his career, he scored over 300 goals which made him an international football legend.
Recently a tribute to the player took the form of a minute’s silence being held at a football match in Brazil. Members of the audience raised their fists up to the sky, in a way that the player used to when he was victorious on the field.
In an interview earlier in the year, which he conducted from hospital, he admitted how he was struggling with an addiction to alcohol and said that he was finding it impossible to quit. He also commented how his tolerance to alcohol was massive and this led to him drinking much more.