This Friday (August 9), Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo, the greatest World Cup winner in history, would have turned 93 years old. The only four-time world champion, the Old Wolf passed away on January 5 of this year at the age of 92. His long football career was highlighted by winning the World Cups of 1958 and 1962 as a player, the 1970 Tri as a coach of one of the greatest teams of all time, and the 1994 Tetra as the technical coordinator of the title led by Parreira.
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Born in the city of Atalaia, in the municipality of Alagoas, 48 km from Maceió, the son of Haroldo Cardoso and Maria Antonieta moved to Rio de Janeiro at eight months old and began his journey in the local competitions. After playing in the youth categories of America-RJ, he was revealed by Flamengo in 1951 and called up for the 1958 World Cup due to his performances at Rubro-Negro. In the World Cup in Sweden, he scored one of the goals in the 5-2 rout over the hosts.
He then transferred to Botafogo, where he also made history and won the hearts of fans. He played for the Glorioso until 1965 alongside stars like Garrincha, Didi, and Nilton Santos. Rivals, Flamengo and Botafogo share a passion and gratitude for Zagallo. Although he started his career at Gávea, he is an idol at General Severiano. Since 2014, on August 9, the birthday of the Old Wolf, Botafogo’s Fan Day has been celebrated.
Zagallo left the field, but not football
Away from the pitch after leaving Botafogo, Zagallo did not distance himself from football. On the contrary, he returned to the sidelines to coach Botafogo in 1966 and won the Brazilian championship in 1968. The following year, he took over the Brazilian National Team to lead them to the Tri, with a team made up of legends like Alberto Torres, Clodoaldo, Jairzinho, Rivellino, Tostão, Gérson, and the greatest of all, Pelé.
Before returning to the National Team for the Tetra campaign, he managed clubs like Vasco, Fluminense, Botafogo, Flamengo, and Bangu, as well as the national teams of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and the Saudi team Al-Hilal over more than 20 years. In 1991, the then-coach of the Amarelinha, Carlos Alberto Parreira, invited Zagallo to be the technical coordinator of Brazil and help him win the 1994 World Cup. The partnership was successful, culminating in the title on penalties against Italy in the United States.
After the victory, he returned as the team’s coach and led the cycle until the 1998 World Cup in France, winning the Copa América and the Confederations Cup in 1997. He could have added a fifth star to the green and yellow uniform but was defeated in the final by the French.
After the defeat, Zagallo left the National Team and coached Portuguesa-RJ and Flamengo. With Flamengo, he lifted the 2001 Carioca trophy, a very special title for the club thanks to Petkovic’s free-kick goal against Vasco in the final minutes of the match.
But Zagallo is synonymous with the Brazilian National Team and accepted Carlos Alberto Parreira’s invitation again to work on the coaching staff until the 2006 World Cup in Germany. However, the fifth world title did not come for the Alagoan, who had previously won the Copa América in 2004 and the Confederations Cup in 2005. After the World Cup, he retired definitively from football.
Tributes
In tribute to Zagallo’s life, the CBF honored him during Brazil’s 1-0 victory over England in March at Wembley Stadium. It was the first match for the Amarelinha after the passing of one of the greatest figures responsible for the greatness of the Brazilian National Team. The players wore a shirt with a commemorative patch, and the team’s captain, Danilo, carried a special flag.
His historic career and life were also remembered during the Supercopa Rei match, with a minute of silence at the 13th minute, a special number for the greatest world champion in history, and with a panel displayed at the CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, since 2022, Zagallo has a statue in his honor at the Brazilian National Team Museum, in a room where the five World Cup trophies are displayed. The Old Wolf was responsible for four of them.
