The Brazilian football legend made a promotional appearance for Garforth Town. I arrived in West Yorkshire to write about the madness of it all as the football correspondent for a leading Brazilian newspaper.
An interview with The Doctor turned into a lengthy conversation at a local pub. The guards and notepads were down as Socrates talked about football with a genuineness that was remarkable even for him.
He admitted that he had never watched Brazil's 3-2 loss to Italy in the 1982 World Cup because he was so far away from his comfort zone. He didn't want to.
He said that he didn't need to play that game again. He died at the age of 57.
40 years ago, that game was played on a hot Barcelona day. The dreams of one of the most feted generations of Brazilian footballers were shattered by an Italian side that transformed over the course of the tournament, putting a stuttering start behind them and demolishing West Germany in the final.
Many older Brazilian fans have mellowed, but on July 5, 1982, there was a feeling that a crime had been committed against football.
The left-wing president Joao Goulart was overthrown in a coup in 1982, 18 years after the military regime took power.
There were increasing calls for a faster handover during a turbulent time for the Brazilian economy when Joao Figueiredo became president in 1979.
Tele Santana became the new Brazil football manager in 1980. In nine years with Fluminense, Santana scored more than 160 goals. He is their fourth- highest scorer.
Santana was known for fair play. He had been in the profession for 12 years. He wanted his players to be the same way.
In the first two games of the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Brazil won by a single goal in Venezuela and another in Bolivia, but the home games were much better for the Seleo, as they beat the same opponents by a score of five and three. They beat England, France, and Germany in a short period of time.
They were doing more than that. They were playing a game that could not have been more different to the way they played in the post-Pele era.
During uninspired campaigns in the two tournaments after the 1970 World Cup, the team finished in the last four on both occasions.
Zico was the leader of the Selecao and he was pulling the reins. No player touched the ball more than once before passing it to another player. It was great to see and it felt even better to play.
Brazil had to follow the style of the famous country. He says that it would be wrong to be scared of losing from the beginning.
We wanted to have fun with what we're doing. Something really special was happening to us.
Millions of Brazilians also did. The bunting was being put up in preparation for a royal wedding. You might see an international star on a trip to a Rio supermarket at a time when Brazilian players were mostly playing in the domestic league.
"Supporters would never hold back from giving us an earful, but at least they identified with us because we were all playing in Brazil at the time."
When a player plays for the national team in Brazil, they usually jump on a plane and fly to another country.
Brazil opened their World Cup campaign in Spain with a win over the Soviet Union and followed it up with victories over Scotland and New Zealand.
There were 24 teams in the first round of the tournament. Six group winners and two runners-up advanced to a second stage. The four winners of the groups would face off in the semifinals.
Brazil found themselves in a group with Argentina and Italy, both of which had drawn all three of their first-round games.
Italy's build-up to the tournament was affected by the situation around Paolo Rossi. In 1980 he was involved in a match- fixing scandal and his two year suspension ended eight weeks before the start of the World Cup. The manager included the forward in his squad.
Fans were sombre when they lined up to play Argentina because of the coverage in the country's media. They had won their first game in Spain. The scene was set for a decisive clash between two contrasting styles when Argentina were thrashed by Brazil in the World Cup opener.
Do you play there? What do you want to say?
Santana asked the question at the end of the talk. The winner-take-all game against Italy will be played at Espanyol's demolished stadium.
He worried his Brazil team-mates had the wrong idea about the real danger they presented because of their shaky start.
Falcao was worried about the role of Italian left-back Antonio Cabrini, who was handy in attack, when he was asked by the manager. The defender was going to try to repeat what he had done against Diego Maradona in the previous game.
Italy's style of play could be seen as being in opposition to Brazil's willingness to attack. They know how to close down and counter opponents but they need to fire up front in order to beat the Brazilians. They had yet to score a goal by their main player.
I was told that the Brazil side was not from this planet. The blindfolded players were able to pass the ball.
I just felt like I was learning to play again.
The mood in the Brazil camp is different than anywhere else.
Falcao says that some of his teammates joked that it must have been easy to earn a living in Italy.
Oscar remembers that some players were already talking about the weaknesses and strengths of Poland, the opponent in the semi-finals.
Tele didn't tell us to hold back in the dressing room before the game. The true Brazilian way is to always go for the victory.
A lot of the crowd in Barcelona had not yet found their seats when Cabrini whipped a cross. Italy was up by a goal with five minutes left in the game.
Brazil hit back shortly after through Socrates, but fell behind again in the 25th minute when a loose ball in the Brazilian backline was pounced on by the Italian. Falcao's screaming celebration was not only a reflection of joy but also a sign that he was almost going to choke on his chewing gum after they tied the game once more.
Brazil had to win at 2-2 to progress. With a little over a quarter of an hour to go, from an Italian corner won against the run of play, Rossi got his third goal. Israeli referee Abraham Klein blew the final whistle on what would become known as the "Sarria Tragedy" after he wrongly ruled that an Italian goal was not in fact a goal.
The more pragmatic and physical styles would become more popular in the country over time. Nobody could say that Brazil was the same team that won the World Cup.
Italy followed the upset in Barcelona by beating Poland in the semi-finals and then defeating West Germany in the final to win their third world title. The Golden Boot went to the once disgraced forward who died in 2020 at the age of 64.
Everyone had clear consciences despite the sad result against Italy.
Losing with dignity is a part of the game. We stood by our convictions until the last moment.
The author of a book of recollections of the 1982 campaign put on a brave face when he looked back at the match.
The team won a place in history despite losing the game. He was a part of one of the greatest World Cup matches.
Some of the team felt like they had been defeated more than any other person.
He was still struggling to come to terms with the events in Barcelona after 22 years.
He barely raised his eyes from the glass he was holding as he talked about how happy they were.
"After three touches, he scored a hat-trick." On that day, football died.
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