A rampaging right-back with excellent leadership skills, Alberto was surprisingly left out of Brazil’s 1966 World Cup squad. He was part of the 44-man training group selected by Vicente Feola but failed to make the final cut.
Tensions in the camp were behind what proved to be Brazil’s worst performance at a World Cup, as the holders crashed out at the group stage.
Alberto’s good form for Santos got him reinstated to the national team, and subsequently earned him the captain’s armband as Brazil tasted success at Mexico 1970. In the final, he put the finishing touch to one of the tournament’s greatest ever goals, crashing home a Pele lay-off at the end of a long passing move.