Barbatana

João Lacerda Filho (11 February 1929 – 29 June 2011), commonly known as Barbatana, was a Brazilian professional football coach and player. During his playing days, he was a midfielder, and played for clubs in Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. As a coach, he worked mainly with Atlético Mineiro, but also coached many other clubs in Brazil and the Indonesia national under-23 team.

Career

Player

Barbatana first played in a club in his hometown Ponte Nova as a condition to work in the city's sugar refinery. The team was called Sport Club Ana Florentina, but soon he was seen by and went to play for Metalusina, a club from Barão de Cocais. After a friendly between Metalusina and Atlético Mineiro played in the city, Barbatana moved to the latter in 1950, taking part in that year's Campeonato Mineiro and the 1950 Atlético Mineiro European tour. He was not under contract, and was sent back to Metalusina with the promise of being signed. However, Bangu also noticed Barbatana and signed him. He spent two seasons with Bangu, before returning to Minas Gerais to play for Villa Nova in 1953, where he was coached by Yustrich. The manager moved to Porto in 1955 and wanted to take the player with him, but Barbatana chose to sign with América Mineiro. He spent two seasons at América, before returning to rivals Atlético Mineiro, where he ended his career.