Mané, who died on January 20, 1983, is one of the greatest idols in the history of football
Garrincha, like Pelé, was already champion in 1958 when he went to compete in the next world cup, in Chile. THE sports chronicle usually analyzes his performance in 1962 as the greatest individual performance by a player in World Cups, much compared to Maradona’s in 1986, in Mexico.
Manuel Francisco dos Santos, or simply Garrincha, popular name for a bird, was a simple man, but not as naive as many labeled him. The “bow-legged genius” haunted the world in 1958, in Sweden. In 1962, he showed an even greater repertoire and scored goals with his head and with his left foot. It is worth remembering that Pelé was injured in the team’s second game in the World Cup and Garrincha, instinctively, understood that he needed to do his best to guarantee his second title.
Knee problems, alcoholism and financial difficulties marked his career and, of course, his personal life. The athlete, born in Pau Grande, Rio de Janeiro, on October 28, 1933, died early, at the age of 49, on January 20, 1983 (a Thursday). THE Folha de S.Paulo It was printed on the cover the next day: “Garrincha: the ‘joy of the people’ dies, at 49”. “In the last two years, he has been hospitalized six times for problems with alcoholism, malnutrition, insomnia and bouts of nervous depression. Not long ago he told his wife he was going to drink himself to death. And for 15 days he did nothing else. On Tuesday, drunk, he entered a lottery shop and played Cr$ 290.00 in the lotto, which he handed over to Vanderléia [a esposa]saying that he would not live to see the result. Manoel dos Santos, known as Garrincha, 49 years old, died yesterday at 6 am, at Casa de Saúde Doutor Eiras, in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, where he had been taken after urgent care at the Inamps health center in Bangu, where he lived. (…).”
Mané’s body was laid to rest at Maracanã, one of the most memorable stages in the player’s history. Thousands of people came to say goodbye to the football genius. Taking the coffin, a fire truck made the Olympic lap around the lawn and then headed towards the city of Pau Grande.
It never hurts to rescue an interview that Garrincha gave to Jovem Pan in 1980. Reporters Wanderley Nogueira and Israel Gimpel:
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
