Brazilian legend Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo is hospitalized since last Tuesday (15) due to an urinary infection, his family informed. The former world champion player and coach has just celebrated his 92nd birthday.
It is not yet certain when Zagallo will be able to leave the hospital, but it is confirmed that he has an stable condition and breathes without the aid of devices.
“He is clinically stable, lucid and breathing without the aid of devices. No hospital discharge is expected,” said the Hospital Barra d’Or communication.
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World Cup history
Altogether, Zagallo was active in seven World Cups. In 1958 and 1962, he was one of the main players of Brazil’s road to win the two titles. In the first of them, he even scored a goal in the final match against the host team, Sweden, which lost by 5-2.
In 1962, he shared with Pelé the artillery of the debut game – a 2-0 victory over Mexico, in Viña del Mar, Chile. And he continued as a starter until the final, against Czechoslovakia (3 to 1).
Years later, in 1970, still young, Zagallo led the national team from the edge of the field in what would be the most emblematic Cup of all time, thanks to the football-art exhibited by the team that brought together Pelé, Tostão, Gerson, Rivellino, Jairzinho, Piazza, Clodoaldo, Carlos Alberto Torres, Brito, Everaldo and Félix, among other stars.
Zagallo would gain more respect and notoriety there, which led him to remain in the national team for the 1974 World Cup in Germany. However, he couldn’t manage to help the team in the tournament, as Brazil did not advance from the semifinal, after being beaten by the Netherlands by 2-0.
Summoned by Carlos Alberto Parreira to help him as one of the coaching staff members at the US World Cup in 1994, Zagallo would take another Olympic turn and become the first four-time world champion.
The feat of having lifted the FIFA World Cup four times would take him to another tournament, 1998, in France. Again as a coach, he achieved the feat of advancing to another final, in which Brazil would end up surpassed by Zidane’s team.
Finally, in the 2006 World Cup, again as coaching staff member, alongside Parreira, he saw the national team leave the competition in the quarterfinals, once again against the French.
