Mario Zagallo: Brazil’s four World Cup-winning player and coach dies aged 92

Brazilian football icon Mario Zagallo, renowned for winning four World Cups as both a player and coach, has passed away at the age of 92. Zagallo, a winger, played a crucial role in Brazil’s consecutive World Cup victories in 1958 and 1962, featuring in both finals.

In 1970, he managed what is often considered the greatest international team, guiding legends like Pele, Jairzinho, and Carlos Alberto to another World Cup triumph. Zagallo’s coaching success continued as he served as assistant coach in 1994, securing his fourth World Cup title. Despite reaching the 1998 final as Brazil’s manager, they were defeated by hosts France.

Mario Zagallo holds the distinction of being the first individual to achieve World Cup victories as both a player and a manager, a feat later matched by Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer and France’s Didier Deschamps. With Zagallo’s passing, there are no surviving members from the Brazil team that contested the 1958 final.

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