According to the Brazilian Football Association on the 6th, Mario Zagallo, a four-time World Cup champion and Brazilian football celebrity, passed away at the age of 92. Zagallo's relatives announced his death in the early hours of Saturday local time.
Data map: Zagallo
The Brazilian Football Federation called Zagallo the only football legend to have won the World Cup four times. Born in 1931 in Alagoas, Brazil, he enjoyed great success as a player and coach.
As a player, Zagallo started as a junior club and later played for the big clubs in Brazil, Flamengo and Botafogo. He mainly plays in midfield, but he is more active on the left flank. In 1958 and 1962, Zagallo was the main team with Pele, Garrincha and other teammates to help Brazil win two consecutive World Cups.
In 1970, Zagallo, who had now retired, led Brazil to the World Cup as head coach and won the title. So far, the Samba Army, which has won the World Cup three times, has been able to permanently retain the Remet Cup, which symbolized the highest honor in world football at that time.
Data map: Zagallo
At the same time, Zagallo became the first legend to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager. Apart from Zagallo, only two other people have achieved this feat so far: German "Football Emperor" Beckenbauer and French football legend Didier Deschamps.
In 1994, at the age of 60, Zagallo assisted coach Andreas Pereira as an assistant coach (technical coordinator) and led Brazil to another World Cup and won another title. So far, in the process of the Samba Army's first four World Cup wins, Zagallo has been there. Today, Brazil is known as the "Kingdom of Football", and Zagallo is a major contributor.
Data map: Zagallo Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
Zagallo is also one of the few managers in Brazil's history who has been able to take up the reins of the national team twice. However, in the 1998 World Cup final, Brazil lost 0:3 to the host France team and won the runner-up. As head coach, Zagallo missed his chance to lift the World Cup for the fifth time, and he was also criticised by fans for that final.
For Zagallo's passing, the Brazilian Football Federation announced that it would mourn for seven days in memory of the "eternal champion". The president of the Brazilian Football Federation, Rodríguez, said that Zagallo is one of the greatest legends in Brazilian football and that "at this moment of regret for the departure of our football icon, the Brazilian Football Federation expresses its condolences to his family and fans." ”
Source: China-Singapore Sports