Four years ago, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's reputation and political future were in tatters. After an unlikely rise from poverty to union leader to Brazil's presidency, the man universally known as Lula had landed in prison.
On Sunday – in yet another twist – Brazilian voters chose him by the narrowest of margins to once again lead the world's fourth-largest democracy. He will also be putting his legacy on the line.
“They tried to bury me alive, and I am here,” da Silva said in a speech on Sunday night after results that confirmed his third presidential win.
“I am here to govern in a very difficult situation. But I have faith in God that, with our people's help, we will find a way out for this country.”
The life of da Silva has unfolded in such a unique, extraordinary way that, were it fiction, it would strain credulity.
His family moved from Brazil's poor northeast region to Sao Paulo state in pursuit of a better life, following his father who had travelled south years before.
Upon arriving, however, they found he had settled down with another woman.
Da Silva's mother was left alone to raise eight children, of whom little Lula was the youngest.
Pressed for money, he became a metal worker at age 14 in the metropolis' gritty outskirts. It was a physical job that famously cost him his left pinky finger.