Mario Zagallo, renowned for securing four Football World Cups for Brazil as both a player and coach, has passed away at the age of 92, as confirmed in a post on his official Instagram account on Saturday.
Zagallo, a tenacious and skillful left-winger, played a crucial role in Brazil’s inaugural World Cup triumph in 1958 and continued to contribute to the squad that clinched the title four years later. In 1970, he led an illustrious Brazil team featuring legendary figures like Pele, Jairzinho, Rivellino, and Tostao, widely hailed as one of the greatest national teams in the history of the sport. They secured Brazil’s third World Cup in Mexico.
This accomplishment made Zagallo the first individual in sports history to achieve the distinction of winning a World Cup both as a player and a manager. Subsequently, when Brazil claimed its fourth World Cup in the United States in 1994, he served as an assistant coach alongside Carlos Alberto Parreira.
Zagallo was revered in Brazil for his distinctive personality and unwavering nationalism. He often asserted that success was inherently ingrained in him from birth and fearlessly confronted critics who accused his teams of being overly defensive
