Zagallo: one of the symbols of Brazilian football dies

The former player and coach of the Brazilian National Team Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo, aged 92, passed away on Friday (5/1). Zagallo was one of the greatest icons of Brazilian football of all time.

The multiple organ failure, resulting from the worsening of several pre-existing comorbidities, was the cause of his death.

The was confirmed by the player’s press office through social media.

‘A devoted father, loving grandfather, caring father-in-law, loyal friend, successful professional, and a great human being. A giant idol. A patriot who leaves us a legacy of great achievements,’ says a section of the statement posted in the early hours of Saturday (6/1). The cause of death was not disclosed until the completion of this text.

Zagallo took part in four out of the five World Cups won by Brazil – the first two titles as a player (1958 and 1962), the third as a coach (in 1970), and the fourth in 1994, as an assistant coach to Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Zagallo’s football career is very rich.

The episode became a part of History known as ‘Maracanazo’. ‘The silence was so great that, if a fly were to fly by, we would hear its buzzing,’ the author of the second goal used to repeat.

Who also made history was Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo.

‘If there is a word that defines Zagallo’s trajectory, it is determination,’ evaluates journalist Vanderlei Borges, author of Zagallo – A Winner (1996), in partnership with Luiz Augusto Erthal. ‘There is a natural difficulty in assessing the level of a star that Zagallo was. The fact of playing alongside Pelé and Garrincha would overshadow the brilliance of anyone who did not have the stature of geniuses. It wouldn’t be different with Zagallo.’

Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo was born in Atalaia, 48 kilometers from Maceió (AL), on August 9, 1931. He was still a baby – only eight months old – when his family moved to Rio de Janeiro.

On the streets of Tijuca, a neighborhood in the North Zone, he learned the basics of football: passing, dribbling past defenders, and scoring goals. Skillful, he joined the youth team of América in 1947 and, a year later, the junior team. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, Aroldo Cardoso Zagallo, who wore the shirt of CRB, from Alagoas.

The patriarch, however, had other plans for the youngest. He wanted his son to study Accounting and, after graduating, work in the representation office of a textile factory belonging to an uncle from Alagoas. Aroldo only changed his mind after talking to his eldest son, Fernando, who managed to convince him to let his brother follow his path in football.

As a junior at América, a club next to his home, Zagallo competed in two Rio de Janeiro championships: in 1948 and 1949. In the second, he was the runner-up.

‘Zagallo played 45 of the 77 games of the Rio Championship and scored seven goals. Even at that time, more than a forward, he showed his playmaker skills,’ analyzes journalist Clóvis Martins, author of Flamengo Almanac (2001), in partnership with Roberto Assaf.

Zagallo played for Flamengo when he met Alcina, his future wife. But he hid from her that he earned a living as a football player. She only found out because of her brother-in-law, a die-hard fan of Flamengo.

‘Formerly, football player was considered a shady activity,’ explains Alcina de Castro Zagallo, in a statement to the book Zagallo – A Winner, by Luiz Augusto Erthal and Vanderlei Borges. ‘When my family found out, they forbade me from seeing him and even talking to him on the phone.’

Zagallo and Alcina got married on January 13, 1955, and had five children. The wedding took place at the Parish of São Judas Tadeu, the patron saint of Flamengo, but Alcina was a devotee of another saint: Antônio. The feast of the ‘saint matchmaker,’ by the way, is celebrated on June 13.

From then on, the number 13 became part of Zagallo’s life. ‘At one time, when buying an apartment in Barra da Tijuca, he demanded that it be on the 13th floor,’ the authors narrate in the book. Alcina died on November 5, 2012, at the age of 80, due to respiratory failure.

In 1958, Zagallo was called up by coach Vicente Feola (1909-1975) to compete in the World Cup in Sweden. As a starting player on the left-wing, he competed for the position with other stars, such as Pepe from Santos, and Canhoteiro from São Paulo.

‘Zagallo was an excellent player,’ affirms journalist Roberto Assaf, author of the Brazilian National Team 90 years: 1914-2004 (2004), in partnership with Antônio Carlos Napoleão. ‘Few in football defended and attacked with the same efficiency.’

In the final against Sweden, Zagallo prevented the hosts from making it 2-0 by clearing a ball off the goal line. He also scored the fourth goal and set up Pelé to score the fifth. Result: Brazil 5, Sweden 2.

Upon returning to Brazil, Zagallo received invitations from at least three major clubs: Portuguesa, Palmeiras, and Botafogo. He opted for the Rio de Janeiro club, where he played alongside great stars of the national team, such as Garrincha (1933-1983), Didi (1928-2001), and Nilton Santos (1925-2013), and won, among other titles, the Rio de Janeiro championship in 1961 and 1962.

‘Zagallo understood that leaving Flamengo and transferring to Botafogo meant reaching the pinnacle of his career due to the opportunity to be among such great legends,’ says Júlio Gracco, author of Botafogo’s Bible (2016), in partnership with Octávio Azeredo. ‘Zagallo helped Botafogo win two of the greatest titles in its history, as well as several international trophies such as the 1963 Paris Tournament.’

In 1962, Zagallo was called up once again to wear the ‘yellow jersey’ of the national team. This time, Brazil’s coach was Aymoré Moreira (1912-1998). In the World Cup in Chile, many players, such as Djalma Santos (1929-2013), Zito (1932-2015), and Vavá (1934-2002), were remnants of the world champion team in Sweden.

‘Playing alongside Zagallo, Garrincha, and Didi was a school. Few clubs in Brazil managed to gather such a great team,’ says the Serbian player Dejan Petkovic, 48 years old. ‘If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have played that match and scored that goal, one of the most important in my career. My relationship with the board was not good. But Zagallo had the courage to endorse my inclusion in the team.’

Zagallo ended his coaching career in 2001. At the age of 79, he won the Rio de Janeiro championship three times with Flamengo. ‘Zagallo acted as the Flamengo coach from January 1972 to November 2001. At the club, he had good and bad moments. But he always had prestige with the officials and respect from the players,’ evaluates Clóvis Martins, from Flamengo Almanac (2001).