João Carvalhaes: Football's psychology pioneer and his role in 1958 World Cup win
In the summer of 1958 a 17-year-old Brazilian took international football by storm.
Pelé's results in the psychometric tests Carvalhaes applied was the reason for his somewhat dubious advice, which was ignored in this instance. The legendary footballer himself later said of Carvalhaes' methods: "They were either ahead of their time for football or just odd, or maybe both." Carvalhaes joined São Paulo in 1957, leaving a job training referees for the city's football federation. The club's interest was piqued by the psychology laboratory he had founded, the likes of which would not be seen in Europe until AC Milan's 'Mind Room' of the late 1980s.
"Arriving at the training ground, you could see everyone excited, but João would be in the corner, quiet, hands in his pockets, just observing," he told a 2000 documentary on Carvalhaes' work, made by theAfter São Paulo won the Campeonato Paulista in 1957, the team's first state championship since 1953, Carvalhaes was heralded for his role in a selection decision that proved key to victory.
Brazil's preparations were already under way and Carvalhaes wasted little time in implementing the methods he had employed at São Paulo. During the squad's pre-tournament camp he conducted an 'Army Alpha' test - an adaptation of an American programme designed to assess the intellectual capability of World War One recruits.
The leak led to suggestions that star player Garrincha, whose test results were poor, would fail to make the cut for the World Cup. Carvalhaes was exasperated. The public fallout ran counter to his behind-the-scenes way of working. "We had to draw sketches of people and answer questions to help João make assessments about whether we should be picked or not.
Defender Nilson Santos said the team learned to "enter the pitch smiling" and Brazilian radio reports filed after the World Cup victory spoke of a "consensus about the importance" of Carvalhaes' role. The international recognition helped to quell Carvalhaes' frustration. It perhaps also paved the way for future leading practitioners, such as Dr Bruno Demichelis, AC Milan's venerated former sport scientist, to advance the use of psychology in elite football.
While Coleman Griffith is widely recognised as the first sports psychologist, his work was largely confined to American football. Carvalhaes was implementing methods never before seen in top-level football, and doing so with some success.
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