Four-time World Cup champion from Brazil passes away at age 92

Brazilian soccer star Mario Zagallo, who won four World Cups as a player and coach, has passed away at the age of 92.

Zagallo was a player in the Brazil team that won two World Cups in a row in 1958 and 1962. He played in both final games.

He led the team with famous players like Pele, Jairzinho, and Carlos Alberto to win in 1970.

Zagallo won the World Cup as a coach in 1994 with Carlos Alberto Parreira.

After that competition, he became the Brazil manager again and took them to the final in 1998. They lost to the host team, France.

Zagallo won the World Cup as a player and coach. Others who have done the same are Franz Beckenbauer from Germany and Didier Deschamps from France.

“We are really sad to say that our four-time world champion Mario Jorge Lobo Zagallo has passed away,” according to a post on his official Instagram account.

“A loving and caring man who was a dedicated father, a kind grandfather, a supportive father-in-law, a loyal friend, a successful professional, and an amazing person. ” Huge statue “A patriot who leaves behind a history of amazing accomplishments. ”
Important person in Brazil’s history.

Brazil has won the most World Cup titles, with five in total. Zagallo has played a big role in their success.

As a young person doing national service, he was one of almost 200,000 people at Maracana Stadium who watched Brazil lose to Uruguay in the final match of the 1950 World Cup.

In 2013, Zagallo told BBC Sport, “I will never forget that day. ”

He played his first game for Brazil when he was 26, just before the 1958 tournament. He was a very important player in the team. In the final game, 17-year-old Pele inspired Brazil to win against Sweden, with Zagallo scoring the fourth goal in a 5-2 win.

Zagallo was the only player left from Brazil’s 1958 World Cup-winning team who played in the final.

When Pele got hurt in the 1962 World Cup, Zagallo stepped up and helped defend during the final game, which was unusual for forwards to do at that time. Brazil won against Czechoslovakia.

Zagallo stopped playing soccer in 1965. He played for America, Flamengo, and Botafogo. He also won 33 games for his country.

He began managing at Botafogo and then became the Brazil boss at 38 years old, right before the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

The smart Zagallo, also called ‘The Professor’ and ‘Old Wolf’, put together a team with Pele, Jairzinho, Gerson, Tostao, and Rivellino, who were really good at attacking, and made them very hard to beat.

Brazil won all six of their games and easily beat Italy 4-1 in the final game.

Zagallo continued as the coach for Brazil in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, and they ended up in fourth place.

After that, he coached teams in Brazil and also coached national teams in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. He helped the United Arab Emirates qualify for their first World Cup in 1990. Then he worked as a coordinator for Parreira’s coaching team before the 1994 World Cup.

Brazil won their fourth title by beating Italy in the finals in the United States.

Zagallo’s team was expected to win the 1998 tournament, but France beat them 3-0 in the final. The star player, Ronaldo, had a strange illness on the day of the game.

Brazil’s team won the World Cup in 2002 in Japan and South Korea. Luiz Felipe Scolari was the coach and Zagallo was there to help as a special adviser.

In 2006, he was Parreira’s helper again. Brazil got knocked out by France, and then he stopped working.

Zagallo’s wife, Alcina de Castro, passed away in 2012 after being married for 57 years. They had four kids.

The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Ednaldo Rodrigues, said: “The CBF and Brazilian football are sad about the death of one of our great players. ”

The CBF supports his family and fans during this sad time after the loss of our football idol.