Mahatma Gandhi is a name you will find in every history book. He is truly an inspiration and one such example is the Brazilian footballer who was named after him. He was born in 1992 and he started his career in 2011 but he’s been in the headlines for completely different reasons recently.
After an account “Troll Football” posted on his X account with the caption, “HE’S BACK!!”, he has been trending after the post gathered 21k likes.
HE’S BACK!! pic.twitter.com/Yc3Y6lTEg1
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) February 6, 2025
A user commented on the post saying, “The English better watch out then, he’ll liberate them from their own government this time” while another one posted, “I am worried if he will be non-violent during the game”.
Apparently, he isn’t the only one with an unusual name. There are other players like John Lennon Silva, who was named after the famous Beatles singer John Lennon and another player named “Pikachu” after a famous character of the series Pokemon.
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Heartfelt Tribute To Marcelo On His Retirement
Who Is Mahatma Gandhi, the Footballer?
Mahatma Gandhi Heberpio Mattos Pires is a Brazillian footballer who plays as a defender for Iporá on loan from Atlético Clube Goianiense. He was born in 1992 and his parents were greatly inspired by the Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi for his values and ideologies of non-violence. So they named their child after his name who debuted in Serie A in 2011 though he spent most of his time on the bench.
Later on, he played on loan spells for Trindade, Goiania and Ipora. He is a defensive midfielder who has played in both Tier 1 and Tier 2 of Brazilian football. He was a part of the Atletico Goianiense winning team in 2014 the State League. His current status is retired however he does not maintain a social media presence which makes it difficult to gather information about him. His most recent appearance was in 2017 for Goiania.
The O.G. Mahatma Gandhi and his Association with Football
Interestingly enough, O.G. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who is also known as the “Father of the Nation” has a fascinating past with football. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi founded three football clubs “Passive Resisters Soccer Club” in Durban, Pretoria, and Johannesburg during his time in South Africa. He was also one of the founding members of the Transvaal Indian Football Association which was the first football club in Africa that was not controlled by the whites.
Football also helped him gain support during the “Satyagraha” movement as football matches were the hub for collecting donations for prisoners who protested against racism and violence. He was also involved with the Moonlighters Football Club in Johannesburg, which was mainly made up of labourers of Indian origin.
