Known for his tenacious style of play and aggressive behaviour, as well as his skill on the pitch, Edmundo was also involved in several incidents off the pitch throughout his career; he had several disagreements with his managers and officials, and was known for his "partying". In 1999, he faced prosecution by animal welfare groups after hiring an entire circus to perform in his back garden to celebrate his son's first birthday. At the party, he was accused by some individuals of the press of encouraging a chimpanzee called Pedrinho to be drunk on beer and whiskey. Subsequent images of this appeared in the media (including the February 2004 issue of the UK version of FHM magazine) and have passed into football legend. The same year, during his turbulent time with Fiorentina, he also escaped a four-year prison sentence for driving drunk and crashing his car during the Rio Carnival of 1995, resulting in the deaths of three people; for his behaviour he received a seven-day suspended sentence. In 1998, due to his difficult relationship with the Florentine club, he suddenly left for the Rio Carnival halfway through the season, and was two days late in returning to Florence according to the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.
