In the final list of those called up for the World Cup, Ancelotti must still have some doubts, especially in the middle forward, with four players (Andrey, Paquetá, Rayan and Neymar) for two places. The polarization over Neymar, whether or not he should go to the World Cup, is as radical as that in Brazilian politics. Carlo Ancelotti will be the judge and I hope he has the wisdom to decide. Or would the best solution be to flip the coin and see if it comes up heads or tails?
The players who are still not sure about the World Cup are certainly tense. In the two World Cups in which I played, 1966 and 1970, I was at risk of being left out for different reasons. In 1966, 44 players were called up and only 22 would be in England. Some were cut during training and friendlies. We spent 20 days in Sweden and the final list was only going to be released days before leaving for England. I was 19 years old, I was Pelé’s backup, and there were other competitors.
The day before the announcement of the 22 who would go to the World Cup, I met supervisor Carlos Nascimento in the hotel lobby, an austere man with few words. I, out of distraction, conviction or arrogance, asked him about the time of the trip to England. He looked at me hard and said nothing. I didn’t sleep, afraid of being cut because of the mistake I made. The other day, fortunately, I was on the list for the World Cup.
In 1970, I was at risk of not going to the World Cup because I had undergone surgery for a detached retina and would have had to spend six months in complete rest. There was a national discussion about whether or not I could play in the World Cup. I had been top scorer in the Qualifiers. I was called up by João Saldanha, but I only showed up after the other players and trained separately. With medical clearance, I demonstrated that I was capable of playing.
I needed to convince Zagallo that I should be the starter, alongside Pelé. The World Cup team was selected after a training game in Guanajuato, Mexico. For the first time, Zagallo started the team with midfielder Piazza as a defender, midfielder Rivellino further back and on the left, forming a midfield trio with Gerson and Clodoaldo, and me as a center forward, alongside Pelé and Jairzinho. When the training game ended, Zagallo entered the field smiling and said, by the look in his eyes, that that team would be the one for the World Cup.
The story, over time, is told in different ways. Many people distort reality and narrate things as they wish they had happened. Versions are often more interesting than truths.
The Brazilian team of 70 enchanted the world because it had many stars, it was very collective, organized, balanced, with a trio in midfield and another in attack. It was a revolutionary team for the time, as it scored and attacked with many players. However, what is often said and repeated is that it was an extremely bold, offensive team, that it had five attacking midfielders (shirt number 10) and that the players had the freedom to do what they wanted on the field.
Right after the title, even the political activists who said they would not support the team because of the nefarious dictatorship, and even the corrupt people who stole public money, took to the streets celebrating, wrapped in the national flag.
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