As a player and coach, he was passionate about winning the World Cup.Brazilian Zagallo dies at 92
Brazilian Mario Zagallo, a four-time World Cup winner who was a player, coach and assistant coach for the Brazilian national team, has died aged 92.
He posted a brief statement on his official Instagram account: “It is with great sadness that we inform you that four-time world champion Mario Jorge Lobo Zagallo has passed away.”
The statement added that Zagallo was “a loving father, a loving grandfather, a caring son-in-law, a loyal friend, a heroic professional and a great human being. My Patriot He has left us a legacy of great achievements.”
Zagallo won the World Cup twice as a player, in 1958 and 1962, and lifted the World Cup trophy as a coach and assistant coach in 1970 and 1994.
Last August, Zagallo was transferred to a hospital in Rio de Janeiro with a urinary tract infection.
But the former Selecao star has recently suffered additional health issues and was hospitalized for around two weeks with a respiratory infection.
The former winger played an important role in the World Cup-winning teams of 1958 and 1962 alongside the legendary Pele.
He also served as coach of Brazil in 1970, considered the greatest team in football history, and then served as assistant coach at the 1994 World Cup in the United States and as coach in 1998 when Brazil lost to France in the final.
His achievement was later equaled by German Franz Beckenbauer (1974 and 1990) and Frenchman Didier Deschamps (1998 and 2018) who won the World Cup as a player and coach.
Brazilian Federation President Edeldo Rodriguez, who was re-elected due to legal disputes, announced seven days of mourning for Zagallo's death.
