Beyond Mexico 70

Hungry for more success, Zagallo carried on coaching, picking up yet more titles with Fluminese and Flamengo. His next port of call was the Persian Gulf. He managed a Gulf Cup success in the Kuwaiti hot-seat, followed by a spell in charge of Saudi Arabia and then qualification for Italy 90 as manager of the United Arab Emirates.

Four years later, Zagallo was sharing his experience at the very highest level again, as the Sele?ao¡¯s technical director for USA 94. Together with his prot¨¦g¨¦, national coach Carlos Alberto Perreira, Zagallo help steer Brazil to another world title after a dour final with Italy.

In 1995, Zagallo took over the reins from Perreira and set about preparing the national side for a potential fifth FIFA World Cup triumph. With midfield stalwart Dunga as his captain, and talented footballers including Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Taffarel integrated into the team, Zagallo took the Copa America back to Brazil in 1997 and arrived at France 98 with his charges hot favourites for the greatest prize of all.

It was not to be, of course, with the hosts inflicting a heavy 3-0 defeat on Zagallo¡¯s men in a final marked by the mysterious illness picked up by Ronaldo a matter of hours before kick-off. Zagallo¡¯s decision to play an unfit Ronaldo caused unrelenting controversy back home, as did the choice to leave behind outspoken but in-form striker Romario before the tournament had even begun.

Zagallo indestructible

Having overcome typically flamboyant Brazilian criticism and fairly serious heart arrhythmia problems, Zagallo is nothing if not durable, and one might even say he has become part of the furniture in the Auriverde set-up. That is certainly how it looked in November 2002, when Zagallo was the automatic choice to oversee the national side in a friendly against Korea Republic after Luiz Felipe Scolari had masterminded Brazil¡¯s fifth world title and stepped down.

A bronze statue of Zagallo now adorns the main entrance to the Maracana Stadium [LINK TO MARACANA STADIUM CLASSIC], but the Wolf is not content with settling for that. Highly superstitious, he sees himself as belonging nowhere else but on the Sele?ao bench, where once again he sits as Carlos Alberto Parreira¡¯s technical director. His very presence there is both a reassurance and a stimulus for the players, who look to him as a link between past and future successes.

If he has become a symbol, though, Zagallo is hardly the shy, retiring type and makes sure his opinions are heard on the evolution of the beautiful game. ¡°The current trend in modern football is to favour physical power at the expense of technique, which allows the managers of smaller teams to erase the gulf in quality with bigger teams and prevents talented individuals from expressing themselves. Muscle has overtaken skill, which explains why the traditional favourites in European football have encountered so many problems recently,¡± he maintains.

¡°But here in Brazil, we still love the same kind of football. My own approach is to set out a plan and then leave the players complete freedom. I¡¯m not a dictator, and how could I be with players who don¡¯t need to be told how to play football in the proper spirit?¡± he insists.

Time clearly has no hold on Zagallo, who celebrated his 73rd birthday on 9 August, 2004. As determined as ever, it is easy to forget that the aging man collected 37 caps as a player, winning 30 times with a mere four draws and three defeats. He has also coached the national side for some 154 encounters, 110 of which ended in victory, along with 33 draws for just 11 reverses -- impressive figures that attest to the legendary achievements of Brazil and Mario Zagallo.

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