One of the last records of Juarez Teixeira is a photo of him being tagged by his grandson Décio, with his autograph on a Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense t-shirt. The “Leão do Olímpico”, in reference to the old stadium of the Gaucho team, celebrated, until the last few days, a trajectory of achievements on and off the field.
Born in Blumenau and raised in Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Juarez joined football at 18 years old. He played for Ferroviário, Caxias, Newell’s Old Boys, from Argentina, and other teams, but it was at Grêmio that he made his name in the history of football, with five state titles.
After leaving the field, the goalscorer invested in his studies and in expanding his family’s wealth. He graduated in accounting sciences, rose to positions as a public servant at Caixa Econômica Federal, from which he retired as treasurer, and bought properties, especially on the coast of Santa Catarina.
Left “everything organized” before departure. I knew the time was coming, and I said I was ready, happy with the path I had taken.
“He lived and died like a gentleman”, sums up his granddaughter and goddaughter Andréia Teixeira. She describes her grandfather as a man of integrity, determined.
He was skilled in mathematics, taught himself English and helped his grandchildren with their schoolwork. He also had a taste for history and philosophy, as well as a “deep understanding of life”. A wise man.
After retiring from the field, he took his first wife —Paulina, with whom he shared his life for 60 years— to see what he had visited as a player. “As he himself said: he left Itajaí with a suitcase in his hands, he and my grandmother, and conquered the world, played in different countries, built an immense heritage and a beautiful family”, describes the granddaughter.
In football, he was also called Juarez Tanque, for his physical strength and leadership. With skill on both feet, the center forward scored 205 goals in 306 games for the Porto Alegre tricolor, from 1955 to 1962.
The farewell to his favorite club was special: a victory in Gre-Nal, 2-0. His career was also marked by his time in the Brazilian national team, becoming Pan-American champion in 1956.
Even though he retired, he maintained his connection with Grêmio, for which he was an advisor for 30 years. His mark is engraved on the walk of fame of the Monumental Olympic Stadium, the former Grêmio home.
“I would gather daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren to watch games on TV and on the field”, says Andréia. Recent records show that he continued to frequent the stadium until recently.
The granddaughter highlights another characteristic of Juarez: being a man of his word. As an example, he recounts the time he stopped selling a property for twice the price because he had already committed to another.
Juarez Teixeira died in Porto Alegre, aged 97, on April 6, of natural causes. He left behind 2 daughters, 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren, in addition to his wife.
coluna.obituario@grupofolha.com.br
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