Mario Zagallo – From player to “professor”
As a left winger, Zagallo scored in the 1958 World Cup final against hosts Sweden. Pele and Garrincha – Contributed to the team’s successive victory in Chile four years later.
He spent his club career with Flamengo and Botafogo, and shortly after retiring in 1965, he became Botafogo’s manager.
His success as a coach at Botafogo led to his induction into the national team, and Pele was once again the star of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, leading Brazil to World Cup glory.
only Franz Beckenbauer and Didier Deschamps It matches Zagallo’s accomplishments in winning the World Cup both as a player and as a head coach.
In 1994, Zagallo, whose tactical acumen earned him the nickname “The Professor,” served as an assistant coach. Carlos Alberto Parreira When Brazil won the World Cup for the fourth time.
Zagallo was appointed head coach again later that year and also took charge at the 1998 World Cup.Brazil lost 3-0 to France in the final thanks to the performance of their star striker. ronald He participated despite having unexplained convulsions on the afternoon of the match.
Famously superstitious – Zagallo believed the number “13” brought him good luck – he often told his critics, “You’ll have to put up with me.”
In a statement, the FIFA President said: Gianni Infantino “Mario Zagallo won four FIFA World Cups as a player and then as a coach, more than anyone else. But his achievements cannot be summed up in numbers. Zagallo’s influence on football, especially Brazilian football, is supreme.”
“When needed, Brazil has looked to ‘The Professor’ as a calming presence, a helmsman and a tactical genius.
“He will be remembered as the godfather of Brazilian football and his presence will be greatly missed by everyone involved in the game, especially here at FIFA. The story of the FIFA World Cup cannot be told without Mario Zagallo. not.”