Four-time world champion Mario Zagalo has died

The glory of the 1970s saw him continue to command the Brazilian team. But 1974 was difficult. In the face of a renewed Holland, Cruyff’s “Clockwork Orange”, the Brazil No Shine on In the midst of such innovation, the ship was wrecked in the second phase. After that, there was a break in his relationship with “Amrelinha”, as he referred to her Brazilian team. race of Shine on He went on to coach at Flamengo, Botafogo, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Botafogo and many others. The selection was still in poor condition. He waited for Tara’s return and resented the lack of such a close relationship.

In 1991, he assumed office Brazil As technical coordinator. Carlos Alberto Pereira, a kind of shield for the coach. in its own way, Shine on It worked. During the four-time World Championship campaign, in the United States, I never tired of turning to the camera and starting the countdown to the achievement. There were seven, five, four missing… until no more were missing. Roberto Baggio’s high penalty also raised the bar Shine on. Four World Cups Earnings on a resume. It wasn’t really small.

So much so that, after Perreira’s departure, he returned to the position of national team coach. Consistent with his ideas, he accumulated criticism. Under pressure during the 1997 Copa America, in Bolivia, he vented his anger on camera, finger raised, face red, eyes angry at his critics, in an episode that has gone down in history and become almost as much a trademark as superstition. Number 13.

“You have to swallow me!” He shouted after the title. This phrase was marked with iron in the biography, but at the age of 66, Shine on He still showed that he still has the breath for more fights. He faced problems in 98 cups. First, in Romero’s cut, which received him a “tribute” on the bathroom door of the attacker’s bar in Rio de Janeiro, where he appeared in a caricature sitting in a vase. A game of questionable taste led to legal proceedings against “Baixinho”.

In the World Cup itself in France Brazil He also made it to the finals. Images of him encouraging player by player, with a few strands of hair trailing in the wind and veins throbbing on his neck, before a penalty in the semi-final against the Netherlands were striking. But the controversy with Ronaldo, who was initially cut from the game and who would have suffered a seizure hours before the decision, made the situation dire. And Shine on, again, raged against the press after a 3 to 0 vote against the home owners. There he showed his strong personality, one of which he did not take home. But, perhaps for that reason, he also went too far.

“He got in because he got in. I have morals and personality to speak of. You owe me a lot. I’m here because I’m a man. I have dignity and character,” when asked. That’s when he shot finger-pointing about the reason for Ronaldo’s lineup. He then left the conference.

His time in charge of the national team was over. Relaxed, without the pressure of the country behind him, he resumed his coaching career at Portuguesa in 1999. The following year, he returned to Flamengo, the club of his heart. Back in Gávea, he lived a historic moment. He coached Petkovic’s three-time Rio Championship goal in 2001.

On the edge of the grass, wearing a red-and-black shirt with the number 13 on the back, he clung to the image of Our Lady of Aparecida after the Serbian’s goal in the 43rd minute of the second half. marker? 3 to 1 for Flamengo. 13, backwards. In the stand, he chanted “Ah, ah, ah, you’ve got to swallow me.” “Old Wolf” smiled. He looked like a boy from the streets of Tijuca again.

That same year, due to poor results, he left the club, and his coaching career, forever. And it has become dull. In 2006, he a World Cup, again with Perreira, as technical assistant. But the strength was no longer the same. His participation was more timid. Since then, he has been away from football. But, he did not refuse to give his opinion whenever he was questioned. Talking about football was like talking about life.

In Rio de Janeiro, who learned to love from childhood, he spent the last years of his life. And with some fear and regret. He was a victim of robbery in 2011 and 2014. In the first, the bandits fled as soon as he was recognized. In another, there was no time and he took his son’s watch. He lost his wife Alcinda in 2012. The following year, he was involved in a car accident, sustaining minor injuries. Guaranteed to be strong. And, in fact, it was.

Once, when he was asked how long he wanted to live, he answered on a tin: 85 years. He explained: The sum of the digits will be 13. But he thought carefully and, with a mischievous smile, with the same logic, made sure he could go up to 94. I was in the first option. the story of Shine on is connected with World Cup.

The ball gods wanted “Velho Lobo” to live in time to see a new one World Cup in Brazil, in 2014. Two years later, on the eve of the Rio Olympics, he was too frail when he appeared in a wheelchair in the torch relay. Very weak, he humbly greeted everyone three days before he was admitted to the hospital. But he maintained his vanity.

“Tributes are always delicious,” he said after carrying the Olympic flame. The struggle was now with spinal and stomach problems which warned that age was advancing and forced him to maintain a regularity of visits to hospitals. The reality is very different from his time in Amrelinha. This 5th January, Brazil Lose a mark. Brazilian football, one of the authors of its most beautiful chapters. Mario. Jorge. the wolf Shine on. Four names. Four World Cups. And a great story.