The legend who led Brazil to four world titles as a player and coach has left for the celestial fields – Soccernet.ee

Mario Zagallo, four-time world champion as a player and coach, has died at the age of 92. No one has so far managed to repeat this feat.

The winger was part of Brazil’s World Cup-winning teams in 1958 and 1962, starting both finals. In 1958, the Brazilians defeated Sweden 5-2 in the final thanks to Pelé’s brilliant performance, Zagallo scored the fourth goal. Four years later Czechoslovakia was defeated in the final 3:1.

Zagallo, who wore the shirt of Flamengo and Botafogo in his playing career, later became a coach and in 1970 led his home team, which continued to be led by Pelé and included Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto, among others, to the world title as head coach, becoming the first man to become world champion as both a player and supervisor. With the World Cup title won at the age of 38, he is still the second youngest coach to achieve such an achievement: only Alberto Suppici, who led Uruguay to the championship in 1930, was even younger than him at era, 31 years. Years.

The final 4:1 victory over Italy in 1970 was by no means the last time Zagallo helped his home team to the title. In 1994, when Brazil again defeated Italy on penalties in the United States, he was assistant coach to Carlos Alberto Parreira, winning his fourth career world title. Zagallo then took over the leadership of the national team, which also reached the final at the 1998 World Cup, but surprisingly lost 0:3 to the host France.

Mário Zagallo, the only man to have won the World Cup four times, has died. 😞🙏 pic.twitter.com/kso3toaUOr
—433 (@433) January 6, 2024

Only two men have managed to repeat Zagallo’s feat, becoming a world champion both as a player and as a coach. In 1974 and 1990 the German Franz Beckenbauer directed it and in 1998 and 2018 the French Didier Deschamps. Zagallo’s departure also means that the celestial football fields are now measured by all the Brazilians who played in the 1958 World Cup final.