In the post made on Zagallo’s social media account, “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of four-time world champion Mario Jorge Lobo Zagallo.” It was said.
Zagallo was the first to win the World Cup as both a player and a coach.
Zagallo, who played on the wing for the Brazilian National Team, which won the World Cup consecutively in Sweden in 1958 and Chile in 1962, started in the first 11 in both finals.
Zagallo led the team, which is considered one of the best Brazilian National Teams of all time, including Pele, Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto, to the championship in Mexico in 1970 as a coach.
Zagallo last served as the coordinator of coach Carlos Alberto Parreira’s team in Brazil, which won the championship in the USA in 1994.
Following Pele’s death, Zagallo was the last surviving member of the team that won the 1958 World Cup for Brazil.
Zagallo, who wore the national team jersey 33 times, spent his entire football career in Flamengo and Botafogo.
“His legacy cannot be summarized in numbers”
Following the death of Zagallo, nicknamed “Professor” and “Old Wolf”, FIFA President Gianni Infantino also published a condolence message.
In his message, Infantino said, “It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of one of the great names whose impact on the FIFA World Cup was unparalleled. Zagallo won 4 FIFA World Cups, first as a player and then as a coach. However, his legacy cannot be summarized with numbers. Brazil was a calming, guiding and tactical player in times of need.” “As a genius, he appealed to ‘The Professor’. The story of the FIFA World Cup cannot be told without Zagallo.” he said.