Mário Zagallo


Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo is a Brazilian former football player and manager, who played as a forward.
He holds the record for World Cup titles in general with 4 titles in total. He was the first person to win the FIFA World Cup as both a manager and as a player, winning the competition in 1958 and 1962 as a player, in 1970 as manager and in 1994 as assistant manager. Zagallo also coached Brazil in 1974 and in 1998 and was a technical assistant in 2006.
He is one of three men, along with Germany's Franz Beckenbauer and France's Didier Deschamps to have won the World Cup as a player and as a manager and the only one that has done it 4 times.
In 1992 Zagallo received the FIFA Order of Merit, the highest honour awarded by FIFA, for his contributions to football. He was also named the 9th Greatest Manager of All Time by World Soccer Magazine in 2013.

Playing career

Zagallo started his football career with América in 1948, and he later played for Flamengo and Botafogo.
He won the World Cup as a player with Brazil in 1962. At the time of the 1958 tournament he was a Flamengo player but by the 1962 event he was with Botafogo.
He won a total of 33 caps for Brazil between 1958 and 1964.

Style of play

Zagallo was a diminutive left winger with a small physique, who was known for his technical skills and his high defensive work-rate, as well as his ability to make attacking runs from deeper areas of the pitch. He was also capable of playing as a forward, either as a main striker, or as an inside forward.

Coaching career

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.

Personal life

Zagallo married Alcina de Castro on 13 January 1955 at the Church of Capuchins in Rio de Janeiro and they remained together until her death on 5 November 2012. Mário and Alcina had four children. He is a practicing Catholic.

Nicknames

Zagallo was nicknamed the professor by his players throughout his career, due to his tactical awareness and commanding presence on the bench. He was also nicknamed Velho Lobo due to his surname "Lobo", which means "wolf".

Honours

Player

Flamengo
Botafogo
Brazil
Awards
Botafogo
Flamengo
Brazil
Kuwait