Dundee United put £400,000 on the table in 1988 in an audacious bid to land the Brazilian World Cup superstar Josimar.
Spurs were fixed to provide the opposition in David Narey’s testimonial match in March when news broke that Josimar would be swapping Botafogo for Broughty Ferry.
The defender etched himself into World Cup folklore in 1986.
Uncapped Josimar had not played a game since mid-March when his Botafogo contract expired and was called up at the last minute after the first-choice right-back pulled out.
Josimar’s first two World Cup appearances in 1986 yielded two of the most spectacular goals in the history of the competition against Northern Ireland and Poland.
Even though he only played three games, Josimar was included in Fifa’s team of the 1986 tournament alongside Michel Platini, Diego Maradona and Gary Lineker.
Botafogo re-signed him after the World Cup and Josimar played in Scotland in 1987.
The Rous Cup organisers had decided to make the annual England-Scotland match-up even more interesting by adding a guest and making the tournament a tri-nation event.
England and Brazil drew 1-1 in the opening game in front of 92,000 fans at Wembley after future Newcastle signing Mirandinha’s goal cancelled out a Gary Lineker header.
England and Scotland drew 0-0 to set up a winner-takes-all game between Scotland and Brazil at Hampden Park which the visitors won 2-0 and the Rous Cup itself.
Josimar started the move that led to the second goal.
Dundee United’s Jim McInally was part of Andy Roxburgh’s Scotland team which exchanged shirts with the Brazil players before they lifted the Rous Cup on the pitch.
So how close did Josimar and McInally come to becoming team-mates?
Botafogo were struggling financially and Josimar was looking for a fresh start in Europe when Dundee United were linked with signing the 26-year-old in January 1988.
The Courier reported on January 23: “The reports from South America stated that the Tannadice club had made a formal approach to Brazilian First Division club Botafogo for the £400,000-rated attacking full-back.
“Indeed, it was being claimed in Brazil that the deal for Josimar, involving a two-and-a-half year contract, is close to completion with only minor details to be ironed out.
“United boss Jim McLean, who was last night unavailable for comment, has been searching for a right-back since Richard Gough departed for Spurs.
“McLean, with £1 million to spend, has been seeking quality players to strengthen his first-team squad for months, without success.”
Brazilian was ready to go to Scotland
Botafogo vice-president Emil Pinheiro said agreement with United was “90% certain” but Josimar would stay for six months to compete in the Brazilian state championships.
That would have meant the full-back arriving at Tannadice in the summer.
Josimar said: “I want to win the title for Botafogo and that would leave everything right for a trip to Scotland but it won’t be until the middle of the year.
“I want to be a champion in my farewell to the club.”
McLean said he was disappointed news of United’s interest in Josimar had been leaked from the wires in South America and alerted other potential suitors of his availability.
“When we sign a player we make an announcement at the right time because we have always worked that way and will continue to do so,” said McLean.
“I am really disappointed for the supporters and everyone connected with this club over what we have had to go through this weekend.
“When I say this I am not being pessimistic.
“But we believe there is a right way to talk about transfers and this is another instance where we have been disappointed over the manner in which it has come out.”
McLean said United were interested in Danish international full-back Jan Bartram from Aarhus before Rangers signed him for £180,000 in January 1988.
“Then, however, only we within the club were disappointed when he signed for Rangers, as has happened many, many times to us and to other clubs,” he said.
“That is the way it goes sometimes.”
McLean’s worst fears were realised when the Brazilian agreed to move to Spain to join Seville until the end of the season despite United’s £400,000 agreement.
Josimar signed on an initial loan deal with the option to buy in the summer.
Seville offer ‘too good to turn down’
The Evening Express on February 5 reported: “Despite saying that he was looking forward to playing in Scotland, the Brazilian has decided to move to Spain until the end of the season.
“Then in June both he and the club will decide whether to make the move permanent.
“Ironically, a fee of £350,000 has been agreed with Seville – less than United offered.
“The World Cup star’s decision is a sickening blow for United who appeared to have pulled off the most outrageous transfer success in Scottish football history.”
Vice-president Emil Pinheiro said Seville’s offer was simply “too good to turn down” and would include a series of money-spinning exhibition matches for Botafogo in Spain.
Seville signed Josimar to win back the support of the fans following public protests after selling former Rangers winger Ted McMinn to Derby County for £300,000.
McLean cut a dejected figure and admitted defeat over the signing of the Brazilian.
“We have accepted that we have no chance,” he said.
“What appeared to be happening in the beginning is what actually happened – the offer we made has been used to get a better one.
“The disappointment we feel at Tannadice has been overcome rapidly because we have to overcome it and because it has happened before.
“But the supporters’ disappointment is more worrying because I am sure they are fed up listening to comments of this kind knowing how much we need players.
“With a club like ourselves, however, as soon as it is public knowledge that we are in for an outstanding player before the deal is tied up we have no chance.
“It has happened repeatedly and we are, yet again, back to square one.”
Josimar got his life back on track
Josimar played 13 league games for Seville although reports from Spain suggested he was out of physical shape and showed little interest during his spell with Rojiblancos.
He was offered to Alex Ferguson in April 1988 in exchange for Danish international Jesper Olsen which went down like a lead balloon with the Manchester United boss.
“I am not in the least interested,” he said.
“Right-back is not a problem position to us because Viv Anderson has done exceptionally well there despite the fact he has been troubled by a heel injury.”
Josimar returned to Botafogo and was part of the legendary side which lifted the state championship in 1989 and ended a period of 21 years without winning a title.
He was a bit-part player in Brazil’s victorious Copa America squad a month later.
Josimar found the pressure of fame hard to cope with and some believe his off-field lifestyle contributed to his anti-climatic career after the World Cup in 1986.
He played with Flamengo and Internacional before dropping down the lower leagues in Brazil and retiring at the age of 36 in 1997 after spells in Bolivia and Venezuela.
Josimar’s found his way back on the rails with the help of his great friend Jorginho and the former national team icons are trying to turn their favelas around through football.
The Brazilian would have become one in a long list of unexpected arrivals in the Scottish game that had also included George Best turning out for Hibs at the end of the 1970s, Soviet star Sergei Baltacha signing for St Johnstone in 1990, Victor leaving the glamour of Spain’s La Liga behind to join St Mirren in 1991, and Paul Gascoigne joining Rangers in 1995.
He remains a cult hero in Brazil and his name lives on in Scotland where freelance graphic designer Steven Walsh named his business after the right-back.
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