2023-09-01 17:09:05
“Thank you all for your love. I’m back,” Zagallo, 92, said in a video posted on Instagram that shows him returning to his home in Rio de Janeiro in a wheelchair.
And he returned to use a phrase he was known for during his time in charge of the Brazilian national team, in response to his critics at the time, saying, “You will have to continue to put up with me!”
Zagallo was admitted on August 15 to Para d’Or Hospital in Rio, a week following his 92nd birthday. He spent nearly two weeks in semi-intensive care in the same hospital last year due to a respiratory infection.
As a player, Zagallo was one of the mainstays of the Seleção national team, world champions twice in 1958 and 1962, along with stars like Pele and Garrincha.
The former left winger was known for his defensive advantages which were unusual for his position at the time.
He entered the world of coaching following retirement and supervised the training of the 1970 world champion Brazil, which is considered one of the best national teams ever, with Pele, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Tostao and Gerson.
In the 1998 World Cup, Zagallo was at the helm of the technical management of Selecao, who qualified for the final before losing to host France.
Only two other players won the World Cup as a player and coach, the German Franz Beckenbauer (1974 and 1990), and the French Didier Deschamps (1998 and 2018).
© 2023 AFP
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