Sebastião Rocha (14 September 1941 – 12 April 1984), commonly known as Tião, was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a left winger. He featured for several clubs in Brazil’s top divisions and earned a single cap for the Brazil national team in 1968.
Early life
Born in the Botafogo neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, Tião began his football development in the youth system of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.
Club career
- Cruzeiro (1961–1962) – After a brief period with Cruzeiro, Tião made limited appearances and left the club in 1962.
- Esporte Clube Siderúrgica (1962–1965, 1966) – He moved to the Minas Gerais side EC Siderúrgica, where he contributed to the team’s Campeonato Mineiro title in 1964.
- Flamengo (1965) – Returning to Flamengo, Tião struggled for playing time, recording four league appearances without scoring.
- Vasco da Gama (1965–1966) – A short stint with Vasco da Gama followed, during which the club shared the Torneio Rio‑São Paulo title in 1966.
- Atlético Mineiro (1966–1972) – Tião’s most prominent period was with Atlético Mineiro, amassing 283 league appearances and scoring 32 goals. He helped the club win the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 1971 and the Campeonato Mineiro in 1970.
- América Mineiro (1972–1974) – He concluded his professional career with América Mineiro, adding 32 league appearances and two goals before retiring in 1974.
International career
Tião earned one appearance for the Brazil national team, playing against Yugoslavia in 1968.
Honours
- Campeonato Mineiro (Siderúrgica): 1964
- Torneio Rio‑São Paulo (Vasco da Gama, shared): 1966
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (Atlético Mineiro): 1971
- Campeonato Mineiro (Atlético Mineiro): 1970
Death
Sebastião Rocha was murdered in Rio de Janeiro on 12 April 1984 at the age of 42.
References
Information summarized from the Wikipedia article “Tião (footballer, born 1941)” and its cited sources.