Waldo Machado da Silva's playing style was that of a classic center forward, with a focus on simplicity, race and finishing, characterized by his speed, physical strength, powerful heading and a powerful shot from any position. He was a complete goalscorer, who scored goals in different ways, with an incredible ability to "break goals" and miss few goals, even without the need for refined skill moves.
Playstyle Details
Simplicity and objectivity: The most striking characteristic was direct, simple football with a focus on completing plays, as shown on Fluminense's Instagram.
Speed ​​and agility: He had astonishing speed, which allowed him to take short starts to anticipate defenders and finish successfully, as mentioned by GE.
Physique and strength: He was a strong player, with great physical capacity, which made him difficult to mark. Physical strength combined with speed was one of his greatest assets.
Finishing: He shot very well, from any position, with a finishing ability that guaranteed him the record as the highest scorer in Fluminense's history, with 319 goals, all scored in open play.
Skill and versatility: In addition to shooting, he was strong in the air and took free kicks well, as reported by the author of Waldo's biography, Valterson Botelho, seen in GE.
Race and fighting spirit: Even though he was not a player with refined technical skills, his great race and fighting spirit prevailed within the area, as the website Imortais do Futebol points out.
"Pingo de Ouro" and other goals: His skill was highlighted even in the confrontation against "Pingo de Ouro", who was considered the greatest scorer of all time before Waldo.