The 32-year-old's full name is Mahatma Gandhi Heberpio Mattos Pires.
Mahatma Gandhi and football. An unlikely combination, you may say. But not quite. While Brazil has produced a bunch of iconic footballers, including Ronaldo Nazário, Neymar, Bruno Guimarães, Kaká, Dida, and more. Among them is another footballer that stands out not just for his skills but also for his unique name. Mahatma Gandhi Heberpio Mattos Pires.
The 32-year-old footballer makes waves on the internet from time to time, especially for his name that he shares with India’s Father of the Nation and freedom fighter Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, aka Mahatma Gandhi.
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Who is the Brazilian Mahatma Gandhi?
According to reports, his parents were residents of Goiania, a city in central Brazil. Since they admired the Indian Mahatma Gandhi for his values and fight for freedom, they decided to name their child after him.
Born on February 18, 1992, he began his professional career in 2011, making his debut in Atletico Goianiense. He also played at Trindade, Goiania, and Ipora on multiple loan spells. Although he is a defensive midfielder, he also plays in the left-back position and as a central midfielder.
Mahatma Gandhi played in both the first and second tiers of Brazilian football. He was part of the Atletico Goianiense team that won Campeonato Goiano, the state league, in 2014. During the league, he made a total of five appearances, as per reports.
He last played professional football for Goiania in 2017, as per the website Transfermarkt.co.in, which shows his current status as ‘retired.’
The footballer has no social media presence, and so his current whereabouts remain unknown.
The Brazilian footballer isn’t the only one with a special name, though. There is John Lennon Silva Santos, named after the Beatles singer, and one player called Ben-Hur Moreira Peres and another called Marlon Brando. There are even more unique names, such as a player called Mosquito and even a Pikachu!
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Mahatma Gandhi And Football
In Durban, South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi’s Soccer Team ‘The Passive Resisters’ (1913) (image-X/IndiaHistorypic).
Actually, there is a connection between Bapu, as he is fondly called, and football. The Indian leader had established three teams for the Passive Resisters Football Club during his time in South Africa from 1893 to 1915. According to the All India Football Federation, the clubs are located in Johannesburg, Durban, and Pretoria.
