The original Socrates died thousands of years ago after being forced to drink hemlock. The modern version died yesterday, aged 57, after an intestinal infection. Socrates was captain of the Brazilian football team, but looked charmingly like an Athenian philosopher. His fantastic performances in the 1982 World Cup also provoked one of the great lines in football commentary - “And Socrates scores a goal that sums up the philosophy of Brazilian football.” A shame that he won’t be around when the World Cup is played in Brazil in 2014.
For views and opinions on the European Union from Peter Spiegel, Joshua Chaffin, Alex Barker and Stanley Pignal, follow the 
- Help
- •Contact us
- •About us
- •Sitemap
- •Advertise with the FT
- •Terms & Conditions
- •Privacy Policy
- •Copyright
© The Financial Times Ltd 2012 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.