Niginho
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leonídio Fantoni | ||
| Date of birth | 12 February 1912 | ||
| Place of birth | Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil | ||
| Date of death | 5 September 1975 (aged 63) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1929–1933 | Palestra Itália (MG) | 31 | (6) |
| 1934–1936 | Lazio | 50 | (42) |
| 1936 | Palestra Itália (SP) | 6 | (6) |
| 1937–1938 | Vasco da Gama | 18 | (25) |
| 1939–1947 | Cruzeiro | 257 | (207) |
| National team | |||
| 1937–1938 | Brazil | 4 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1948–1949 | Cruzeiro | ||
| 1950–1951 | Santos | ||
| 1953–1955 | Cruzeiro | ||
| 1959–1961 | Cruzeiro | ||
| 1962–1963 | Cruzeiro | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Leonídio Fantoni, best known as Niginho or Fantoni III (born in Belo Horizonte, 12 February 1912 – died 5 September 1975) was a professional association footballer who played as a forward.
His Italian-origins family was a supporter of Cruzeiro, than known as "Palestra Itália". Fantoni started his career in that club, playing with his brother João Fantoni (Ninão) and their cousin Otávio Fantoni (Nininho). In 1931, they were sold to Lazio, where they would be known by their surnames, like a dynasty: Ninão was Fantoni I, Nininho was Fantoni II and him, Fantoni III. They played with another Italian-Brazilian player, Anfilogino Guarisi, in a Lazio squad known as "Brasilazio". Before moving to Italy, Niginho conquested the Minas Gerais State Championship in 1928, 1929 and 1930.
In 1935, having dual citizenship, he was called by the Italian Army to fight in the invasion of Abyssinia. He had married just one month before, and decided to go back to Brazil. Lazio authorized it and paid the ship ticket. That year was particularly difficult to him: his cousin Fantoni II died of generalized infection from a broken nose.
Without formal authorization of Lazio, Niginho transferred to Palmeiras, than also known as Palestra Itália. Playing there from March to May, he scored six goals in six games and conquered the São Paulo State Championship. After that, he played in Vasco da Gama in 1937. In that club, he received his first call to Brazil national football team. He was called to 1938 FIFA World Cup as a Leônidas da Silva stand-by player. Unfortunately, the Italians warned FIFA that Niginho was in irregular situation, needing an authorization of Lazio to play, and that he was a deserter of Italian Army.
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