The world of soccer has been hit by the demise of two great icons of the beautiful game.
Brazil legend and four-time World Cup winner Mario Zagallo died over the weekend at age 92.
The Brazilian icon who won the World Cup twice as a player and twice as a coach was confirmed dead through a post on his Instagram account.
Just two days after that devastating news, German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer was reported dead at 78.
‘Der Kaiser’, as he was widely known, led West Germany to World Cup victory in 1974 as the captain. He also won the 1990 edition of the tournament with the same country, this time, as a coach.
In a tribute, the world soccer governing body, FIFA, described Zagallo “as one of the most influential figures in FIFA World Cup history and the first person to win football’s greatest prize as both player and coach.”
“It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of one of the true greats, a man whose impact on the FIFA World Cup is unparalleled”, FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated, adding “In times of need, Brazil has looked to ‘The Professor’ as a calming presence, a steering hand and as a tactical genius. He will be remembered as the Godfather of Brazilian football and his presence will be sorely missed by everyone in the game but especially here at FIFA.”
“The story of the FIFA World Cup cannot be told without Mário Zagallo”, Infantino noted.
In a separate tribute to Beckenbauer, FIFA said the German legend was “a legendary figure in German and international football for decades, first as a player, then as a coach and later as an official.”
“A legend of German and world football, Franz Beckenbauer has achievements and triumphs which are etched in history, and yet, for all his popularity, ‘Der Kaiser’ always remained modest and down to earth”, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
He further reminded the soccer world of the wonderful exploits of the German soccer icon.
“The first captain to raise the current FIFA World Cup trophy in 1974, he would also win the tournament as Germany coach in 1990, and his passing is a painful loss for both German and world football. He will always be remembered by football supporters across the world, especially by fans of the German national team and FC Bayern München with whom he enjoyed so much success”, Infantino concluded.
