Manuel Francisco dos Santos was a miracle. Most people knew him as Garrincha, the "Little Bird." He was the man who made the ball dance. He won two World Cups for Brazil. He was, quite literally, the reason Brazil didn't collapse after Pelé got injured in 1962. But the Garrincha cause of death isn't a story of sports glory. It’s a messy, heartbreaking, and deeply human tale of what happens when a national treasure is left to rot in the bottle.
He died on January 20, 1983. He was only 49.
If you look at his legs, you’d wonder how he even walked. His spine was deformed. His right leg turned inward. His left leg was six centimeters shorter and curved outward like a parenthesis. Doctors said he’d never be an athlete. They were wrong. He became the greatest dribbler the world had ever seen. Yet, the same body that defied physics eventually surrendered to a much more internal enemy.
The Medical Truth of 1983
What actually killed him? The official medical report cited acute pulmonary edema and liver cirrhosis. Basically, his body drowned from the inside because his liver had finally quit.
He had been in and out of the hospital nearly ten times in the year leading up to his death. His final bender lasted four days. By the time he was brought to the hospital in Rio de Janeiro, he was in a coma. He was broke. He was alone. The "Joy of the People" died in a pauper's ward.
Alcoholism wasn't a choice for him; it was a shadow. It followed him from his father, who also struggled with the bottle. In Brazil, during the 50s and 60s, nobody was talking about "substance use disorder" or "rehabilitation centers." You just drank. Garrincha drank cachaça like it was water. When the knees gave out and the crowds stopped cheering, the cachaça was the only thing left that didn't judge his crooked legs.
Why the Garrincha Cause of Death Still Stings
It’s about the neglect. You have to understand that in 1958 and 1962, Garrincha was a god. He didn't play for money; he played because it was fun. He’d dribble past a defender, wait for the guy to catch up, and then do it again just for the laugh.
But when he died of cirrhosis, it exposed a massive gap in how Brazil treated its icons.
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The physical toll of his career was immense. Those "bent legs" weren't just a quirk; they caused massive strain on his joints. He played through agonizing pain for years. In 1963, his knees were essentially bone-on-bone. He kept playing because the clubs needed the gate receipts and he needed the cash. To numb the pain? More alcohol. It was a vicious, circling drain.
The Role of Depression and Isolation
Garrincha wasn't built for the limelight. He was a simple man from Pau Grande. He liked hunting birds and playing barefoot. When the fame became a suffocating weight, he retreated.
His personal life was a whirlwind that contributed to his decline. He had at least 14 children. His relationship with the famous singer Elza Soares was passionate but volatile. When they broke up, many say Garrincha lost his primary anchor. He didn't have a manager looking out for his finances. He didn't have a therapist. He had "friends" who would buy him drinks just to hear a story about the 1962 final.
By the late 70s, he was a ghost of himself. He appeared in a 1980 Carnival parade, sitting atop a float, looking vacant and disconnected. Seeing the "Angel with Bent Legs" in that state was a punch to the gut for the Brazilian public.
Debunking the Myths
Some people like to romanticize the Garrincha cause of death as a "broken heart."
That’s poetic, but it’s not clinical.
The clinical reality was a long-term destruction of the liver. Cirrhosis leads to portal hypertension, which causes fluid buildup. That fluid eventually backed up into his lungs (pulmonary edema). He couldn't breathe. His heart stopped.
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There’s also a misconception that he was "uneducated" and therefore destined for this. That’s a bit classist, honestly. Garrincha was highly intelligent on the pitch—a tactical genius of movement. His downfall wasn't a lack of school; it was a lack of a support system for a man with a genetic predisposition to addiction and a career that chewed up his physical body.
The Aftermath and the Missing Remains
If his death wasn't tragic enough, the story gets weirder. In 2017, it was reported that Garrincha’s body had actually gone missing from the cemetery in Magé.
Wait. What?
Yeah. During a renovation or a reorganization of the cemetery, his bones were moved. Because records were poorly kept, the family realized years later that they weren't entirely sure which vault he was in. It’s a bizarre metaphor for his life—a man so beloved by everyone, yet somehow lost in the shuffle of the world he helped build.
Lessons from the Pitch
Garrincha's story is a blueprint for what we now call "player welfare."
- Physical Maintenance: Playing on injured joints without proper surgery shortened his career and increased his reliance on self-medication.
- Financial Literacy: He died nearly penniless despite being the world's most marketable athlete for a decade.
- Mental Health: The transition from "Global Superstar" to "Retired Athlete" is a cliff. Garrincha fell off that cliff without a parachute.
Today, FIFA and various national federations have programs to help players transition. We have the "Garrinchas" of the past to thank for that, though it came at the cost of his life.
The Legacy Beyond the Bottle
Even though the Garrincha cause of death was a medical tragedy, his life remains a celebration.
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When you watch highlights of him today, you don't see the cirrhosis. You see a man who defied every medical expectation. You see the "Olé" chant, which was literally invented for him by Mexican fans in 1954 because he made defenders look so foolish.
He was the soul of the "Jogo Bonito." Pelé was the King, the professional, the standard-bearer. Garrincha was the rebel, the artist, the one who played for the hell of it.
The "Angel with Bent Legs" gave everything to the ball. Unfortunately, when the ball stopped rolling, there wasn't enough of him left to keep going.
How to Honor the Legend Today
If you want to truly understand the impact of Garrincha, don't just read his stats. Stats don't do him justice.
- Watch the 1962 World Cup Footage: Specifically the quarter-final against England. He scored twice, once with a header (which he almost never did) and once with a "banana shot."
- Support Modern Player Welfare: Many retired athletes still struggle with the exact same issues of addiction and isolation. Organizations like FIFPRO work to ensure that modern players don't end up in pauper's wards.
- Visit Pau Grande: If you’re ever in Brazil, visit his hometown. It’s a small place that still breathes his name.
The story of Garrincha is a reminder that even the brightest stars need a foundation to land on. His death was preventable, which makes it all the more heartbreaking. But his life? That was a once-in-a-century gift.
To prevent similar tragedies in your own community or circle, recognize that addiction is a medical crisis, not a character flaw. Early intervention and removing the stigma around mental health are the only ways to ensure the "joy" doesn't end in a hospital ward.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge:
Explore the documentary Garrincha: Alegria do Povo (1962) to see him at his peak, or read Ruy Castro’s definitive biography, Estrela Solitária (Lonely Star), which provides the most granular, researched account of his medical struggles and final days. For a broader look at how sports medicine has evolved, compare Garrincha's injury management to modern ACL and meniscus recovery protocols used by current Brazilian stars.