Late Brazil star Garrincha believed contemporary great Pele got lucky as he had such a brilliant ensemble playing alongside him in his glory years, it emerged in an interview published on Thursday — decades after the former’s death.
Garrincha, nicknamed O Anjo de Pernas Tortas (the angel with bent legs) owing to a spine deformity and a left leg which was shorter than his right, gave the interview in 1981, 18 months before his death, to Argentine reporter Carlos Bikic.
Only an abridged version ever saw the light of day — in Japan — and it is only now it has been published in Brazil in a report by ESPN The Magazine.
Asked if Pele was the best ever, Garrincha, who struggled first for recognition owing to his deformity and then with alcoholism, said, with certain understatement: “He was a good player [but] he was lucky. He scored goals and was lucky as he also had good people alongside him to pass him the ball.”
Garrincha, who starred with Pele in Brazil’s first World Cup victory in 1958, suffered from alcoholism and died aged just 49, but is recognized as a past master of the dribble.
At the time of his interview he said he had worked on beating his drink problem drinking “a lot of coffee” and guarana juice.
“For a while I had a hell of a pain in the stomach. To get a bit better I lay face down on the cold concrete. The doctor told me I couldn’t drink again and now I only drink guarana,” he said.
Garrincha’s father also had a drink problem and the star said: “If I see someone drinking cachaca [a popular Brazilian liquor] I yell at him that’s drinking poison.”
He convinced himself that “I am not addicted” to drink — but died of cirrhosis of the liver on Jan. 19, 1983, after falling into an alcoholic coma.
Garrincha, believed to fathered at least 14 children, spent his later years coaching disadvantaged children and drew a stipend from the Brazilian Football Confederation.
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides yesterday. Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches. Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time. Well-held for most of
The Wallabies trusted their instincts to keep pushing for a late try instead of a potential equalizing penalty goal late in their Rugby Championship Test match yesterday against Argentina, with prop Angus Bell scoring the clinching try in the sixth minute of added time to give Australia a comeback 28-24 win. The Wallabies were awarded three kickable penalties after the 80th minute, but kept pushing in search of the match-winning try, which was finally delivered by an unlikely hero in reserve prop Bell. “It’s just relieving,” Bell said. “It’s just awesome we could get the win in the end; not go for
Mikel Merino on Sunday scored a hat-trick as a majestic Spain thumped Turkey 6-0 away in World Cup qualifying, while a brilliant Florian Wirtz free-kick helped Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 to get their bid up and running. European champions Spain were in unstoppable form in the central Turkish city of Konya, claiming their second biggest-ever away win in World Cup qualifying as Arsenal midfielder Merino scored his first professional hat-trick. Barcelona playmaker Pedri Gonzalez opened the scoring inside six minutes and later completed the scoring, with Ferran Torres netting the visitors’ other goal. The quality of Merino’s strikes was remarkable, with his
RSS