Mário Zagallo

This is a Portuguese name; the first family name is Lobo and the second is Zagallo.

Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmaɾju zaˈɡalu]; 9 August 1931 – 5 January 2024) was a Brazilian professional football player and manager, who played as a forward.

Mário Zagallo

Zagallo in 2004
Personal information
Full name	Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo
Date of birth	(1931-08-09)9 August 1931
Place of birth	Atalaia, Alagoas, Brazil
Date of death	5 January 2024(2024-01-05) (aged 92)
Place of death	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Playing position	Inside forward, left winger
Youth career
1948–1950	America
1950–1951	Flamengo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1951–1958	Flamengo	217	(30)
1958–1965	Botafogo	115	(46)
Total		332	(76)
National team
1958–1964	Brazil	33	(5)
Teams managed
1966–1970	Botafogo
1967–1968	Brazil
1970–1974	Brazil
1971–1972	Fluminense
1972–1974	Flamengo
1975	Botafogo
1976–1978	Kuwait
1978	Botafogo
1979	Al-Hilal
1980–1981	Vasco da Gama
1981–1984	Saudi Arabia
1984–1985	Flamengo
1986–1987	Botafogo
1988–1989	Bangu
1989–1990	United Arab Emirates
1990–1991	Vasco da Gama
1991–1994	Brazil (coordinator)
1994–1998	Brazil
1999	Portuguesa
2000–2001	Flamengo
2002	Brazil (caretaker)
2003–2006	Brazil (coordinator)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Zagallo was regarded as one of the best football players of all time and was considered to be one of the greatest world's managers. Physically limited by his low stature, Zagallo began his career as a left midfielder and then moved also due to excessive competition in the role in the role of pure winger, characterized by his usefulness in defensive recoveries and in midfield as well as for his effective attacks on the offensive front.

Early life

Zagallo was born in Atalaia on 9 August 1931. As a young man, he worked as a soldier, working at the Maracanã Stadium when Uruguay defeated Brazil in the 1950 World Cup Final.

Club career

Zagalo in Botafogo. He started his career in America (Rio de Janeiro) in 1948. In 1950 he moved to Flamengo . He was part of the "red and black" team that won three consecutive Campeonato Carioca titles (1953, 1954, 1955). In 1955, the team won the Rio-Sao Paulo Intercity Cup. Since there was no national championship at the time, Flamengo regularly participated in various friendly tournaments in addition to the city, and in Peru, Argentina and Israel. In total, in all tournaments, he played 217 matches, in which he scored 30 goals.

In 1958, Flamengo experienced financial problems and sold Zagallo against the player's wishes. Mario becomes part of Botafogo, as his wife is a teacher and will lose her job when moving to another city. Along with Garrincha, Didi and Nílton Santos, Zagallo became an important part of the team and won the Campeonato Carioca in 1961 and 1962, as well as the Rio-Sao Paulo Champions Cup in 1961 and the Rio-Sao Paulo Inter-City Tournament in 1962 and 1964.

International career

Mário Zagallo in 1962

Zagallo was called up to the Brazilian national team on the eve of the 1958 World Cup and was considered as a replacement for Pepe, who in those years was the best Brazilian football player in his position. However, just before the start of the tournament, Pepe was injured, and his place was taken by Zagallo, who played in all matches of the tournament (which became victorious for the Brazilians), and scored a goal against the Sweden national team in the final. Four years later, Mario helped his team defend the world title, playing in six matches and scoring one goal and two assists. In total, he played 33 matches for the national team and scored 5 goals.

Coaching career

Zagallo started his coaching career at Botafogo, the club he had finished his career with, managing them alongside the Brazil national team. Zagallo won the World Cup as a manager in 1970, and as assistant coach in 1994, both with Brazil. He was the first person to win the World Cup both as a player and as a manager. Winning the World Cup in 1970 at the age of 38, he is also the second youngest coach to win a World Cup, after Alberto Suppici, who won aged 31 with Uruguay in 1930.

Death

In July 2022, Zagallo was hospitalized with a respiratory tract infection. In August 2023, he was hospitalized for 22 days for a urinary tract infection. He died on 5 January 2024 from multiple organ failure at a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, aged 92.

Honours

Zagallo in 2008

Player

Flamengo

• Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 1953, 1954, 1955

Botafogo

• Rio-São Paulo Tournament: 1962, 1964
• Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 1961, 1962

Brazil

• FIFA World Cup: 1958, 1962
• Copa América runner-up: 1959
• Copa Oswaldo Cruz: 1958, 1961, 1962
• O'Higgins Cup: 1959, 1961
• Roca Cup: 1960, 1963
• Atlantic Cup: 1960

Manager

Botafogo

• Taça Brasil: 1968
• Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 1967, 1968

Flamengo

• Copa dos Campeões: 2001
• Rio de Janeiro State Championship: 1972, 2001

Brazil

• FIFA World Cup: 1970; runner-up: 1998
• FIFA Confederations Cup: 1997
• Copa América: 1997; runner-up: 1995
• CONCACAF Gold Cup runner-up: 1996; third place: 1998

Kuwait

• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 1976

Individual

• IFFHS World's Best National Coach: 1997
• World Soccer Magazine 9th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013
• FourFourTwo 27th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2020

Mário Zagallo Media

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  Zagallo during his playing career

• 

  Zagallo with Pelé in 1970

References

• Roberto Assaf, Clóvis Martins. Campeonato carioca: 96 anos de história, 1902–1997. Irradiação Cultural (1997).

Other websites

World Cup-winners status
First	Player and Manager 1958, '62, '70	Next: Franz Beckenbauer
Preceded by Enzo Bearzot	Oldest Living Manager 21 December 2010 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by Hilderaldo Bellini	Oldest Living Player 2 wins 20 March 2014 – present
Preceded by Hans Schäfer	Oldest Living Player 7 November 2017 – present
World Cup Finals
Preceded by Josef Masopust	Oldest Living Goal-Scorer 29 June 2015 – present	Incumbent