In the 2026 elections across Brazil, former football stars and sports figures faced a difficult reality at the ballot box, with a striking 105,079 votes securing Grêmio icon Danrlei his fifth term as federal deputy while dozens of other former players and coaches failed to win office, according to regional and national reporting.
Danrlei Secures Fifth Term as Other Rio Grande do Sul Figures Fall Short
Out of five former football players who ran for office in Rio Grande do Sul, Danrlei was the only successful candidate, earning 105,079 votes to retain his seat in the Chamber of Deputies for the PSD, gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br reported. Other notable local sports figures missed out on election day. Former goalkeeper Marcelo Pitol and former striker Silvinho—who played for Internacional during the 1980s—both failed in their bids for the Legislative Assembly, as did fellow former Internacional players Cléo Hickman and Fabiano, according to gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br. CartaCapital noted that Cleo Hickmann received 412 votes and finished as a substitute.
Another prominent regional candidate, Gaúcho da Geral, who gained fame for wearing traditional gaucho attire and carrying a state flag at Grêmio matches before entering politics, failed in his re-election bid for the state assembly, gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br reported. Despite missing out on the legislative seat, he currently serves as the elected vice-president of Grêmio.
National Figures and Coaching Greats Struggle at the Polls
The difficulties faced by sports personalities extended far beyond Rio Grande do Sul. In Tocantins, former Brazil national team head coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo ran for the Senate under the Podemos banner, capturing 67,987 votes—equivalent to 4.11% of the total—which placed him seventh in the state and left him without a seat, according to coverage from CartaCapital and Jovem Pan.
In São Paulo, former striker Luis Fabiano ran for federal deputy for the MDB and received 9,613 votes, amounting to just 0.04% of the total electorate, Jovem Pan reported. Former Corinthians and São Paulo players also struggled, with Dinei registering 6,337 votes for state deputy under Avante, and Alexandre Finazzi collecting 1,069 votes for the MDB, according to Jovem Pan and CartaCapital. Former Palmeiras goalkeeper Sérgio added 9,565 votes in his state deputy campaign, while former Vasco and Palmeiras star Edmundo ran for federal deputy under the PSDB in Rio de Janeiro, taking 35,724 votes to finish as a substitute, Jovem Pan reported.
Legislative Bids Across States Highlight Broad Sports Transition
Other familiar names from Brazilian football found similar outcomes across various state races. In the Distrito Federal, former striker Washington “Coração Valente” garnered just over 7,500 votes in his federal deputy campaign for the MDB, while former Corinthians idol Marcelinho Carioca received 2,494 votes for a district representative seat with the Republicanos, according to Jovem Pan and CartaCapital. In Rio de Janeiro, former Flamengo executive Marcos Braz secured 18,305 votes, and former Vasco forward Donizete Pantera tallied 4,884 votes, both missing out on legislative positions, Jovem Pan reported. In Bahia, former Bahia standout Bobô collected 70,893 votes in his run for state deputy, as detailed by CartaCapital.
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