Mario Zagallo, the first person to win the FIFA World Cup as a coach as well as a player is dead.
He died at the age of 92 on Friday, January 5.
The late Zagallo played a crucial role in Brazil’s ascension to prominence in the world of football.
He was the last living member of the Brazil squad that won the 1958 World Cup, which was both the nation’s first championship and a consolation prize after an agonizing loss to Uruguay at the Maracana eight years earlier.
“I was at the Maracana for that fateful loss to Uruguay. I was a soldier and it was my job to keep people off the pitch,” said Zagallo of the result that prompted national mourning.
“I’ll never forget the silence, the sadness and the disappointment of that defeat.”
His legendary teammate, Pele, died in December 2022.
While the memory of the uruguay loss remained vivid, Zagallo would do his best to relieve the anguish by leaving his fingerprints on four of Brazil’s five World Cup triumphs.
The diminutive left winger Zagallo, who rose from the amateur levels in the 1950s, personified Brazil’s attempt to combine attacking flair with defensive resiliency by fusing his own superb talent with an impressive level of commitment.
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