Osmar Santos
Osmar Santos (born July 28, 1949) is a former
painter and
journalist from
Brazil. He was a very successful
radio and
television sports commentator in the 1980s and early 1990s, known for his outstanding verbal fluency (estimated at over one hundred words per minute) and for his numerous
catchphrases, which still punctuate Brazilian
football culture. Throughout his career, Osmar Santos worked alongside major sportscasters and media personalities, such as
Galvão Bueno,
Fausto Silva and
João Saldanha. He also worked as
TV host in a number of shows. Osmar Santos publicly supported
Diretas Já, a political movement for
direct suffrage in Brazilian presidential politics.
In 1994, Osmar Santos suffered a serious
car accident traveling from
Marília to
Lins, when he was hit by a
drunk truck driver. He underwent extensive
brain damage, having acquired
right hemiplegia and
Expressive aphasia, which rendered him unable to utter more than a limited selection of words. Osmar Santos then took up painting, and his
art brut works are highly valued by collectors.
He is commemorated by
Troféu Osmar Santos, a football award given out annually. Two of his brothers and a cousin work as sportscasters.
Provided by Wikipedia