Didi (footballer, born 1950)
 Didi in 1970 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adir Cid Rodrigues | ||
| Date of birth | 27 August 1950 | ||
| Place of birth | Santos, São Paulo, Brazil | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ???–1965 | Santos | ||
| 1965–1968 | Fluminense | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1969–1973 | Fluminense | 144 | (3) |
| 1973–1974 | Vitória | ||
| 1974–1975 | Portuguesa Santista | ||
| 1975–1976 | Santos | 42 | (3) |
| 1976–1978 | Deportivo Toluca | ||
| 1978–1979 | Jalisco | ||
| 1979 | Ceará | ||
| 1980–1981 | Francana | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Adir Cid Rodrigues (born 27 August 1950), better known as Didi, is a retired Brazilian footballer. Also nicknamed "Ouro branco", he played for Fluminense as a defensive midfielder throughout the early 1970s and was part of the winning squad for the 1970 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. He also played abroad in Mexico at Liga MX, playing for Deportivo Toluca throughout the latter half of the decade.
Career
Didi began his career within the youth section of Santos. However, his footballing trajectory would change as during a game between Santos and Portuguesa, at just 15 years of age, Didi was discovered by Fluminense supervisor Roberto Alvarenga and alongside Marco Antônio, made the switch to the Fluminense youth team.[1] Former Fluminense footballer Pinheiro would be the main driving force to push the club to convince them to promote Didi to the senior squad for the upcoming 1969 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. His inaguaral season saw him win the 1969 Campeonato Carioca with this success continuing into the 1970s as he won the 1970 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A as well as the 1971 Campeonato Carioca as he would play until 1973 with a final record of 144 appearances and three goals.[2][3]
Following his career with the Tricolor, he had a series of brief stints with Vitória, Portuguesa Santista and his old club Santos.[4] During his tenure with the Alvinegro, the club was experiencing a financial crisis following Pelé's departure for the New York Cosmos and Didi decided to play abroad for Deportivo Toluca in Mexico.[5] Following an additional season for Jalisco throughout the 1978–79 season, he returned to Brazil to spend the remainder of his career with Ceará and Francana before his retirement in 1981.[6]
Personal life
Didi later married Ariadne Valdez and had three children with her: Vanessa, Danielle and Adir Agustin. He is also the grandfather of four granddaughters: Camila and Constanza, from Vanessa, and Valentina and Natalia from Danielle.[6]
References
- ^ Placar Magazine (in Brazilian Portuguese). Editora Abril. 9 October 1970.
- ^ Benjamin, Marcos (16 July 2012). "Ex-meia do time campeão brasileiro de 70 visita o Flu e a Sala de Troféus". Fluminense (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ De Frietas Lima, Ricardo. "Jogadores - Letra D - Didi-1973". Fluzão.info (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Almanaque Dos Craques Do Santos FC | PDF | Clubes de Futebol | Futebol". Scribd (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ^ "Adir Cid Rodríguez". Medio Tiempo (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 7 October 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b de Carvalho, João Antonio. "Didi Rodrigues - Que fim levou?". Terceiro Tempo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 14 January 2026.