The name Garrincha probably isn’t as well known amongst modern football fans as it should be – this is, after all, a player regarded as Brazil’s second greatest ever, who played a massive part in his country’s World Cup victories in 1958 and 1962. A giant on the pitch – he’s seen as simply the greatest dribbler of the ball ever seen – Garrincha is also famous for his wild, off the field antics. It’s no surprise then that his story has inspired a number of books and films in his homeland, with Garrincha – Estrela Solitaria the latest movie to make a big mark over in Brazil.

That film has come to our attention here at Umbro mainly thanks to the soundtrack, a jazzy samba collection that’s currently working as a great musical accompaniment to our work as we move out of winter and start to look towards summer – and the World Cup. The very kind folks at Far Out Recordings, the Brazilian music specialists who are releasing the record over here, have allowed us to stream a song from the album exclusively here on the Umbro blog. You can listen to ‘Abertura’, the opening track from the album which has been put together by jazz artist Leo Gandelman, on the link below. If you like it, you can find out more over at the Far Out website, as well as details on more samba-fuelled releases that they’ve also got planned. They’re also planning on screening Garrincha – Estrela Solitaria here in the UK later this year, so keep your eyes on their site if you’d like to see the film and learn more about this somewhat overlooked footballing icon.

Garrincha