Garrincha: 1962's flying feet of Brazil

There are certain fairytales in football history that never grow old, no matter how many times they are told. The 1962 World Cup in Chile is one such epic -- a saga whose hero was a man who, at first glance, hardly looked like a footballer at all. His name was Manuel Francisco dos Santos, the Brazilian legend the world remembers as Garrincha.

Four years earlier, in 1958, Brazil had won their first World Cup on Swedish soil. That team featured a boy wonder named Pele, alongside stars like Didi and Vava. In 1962, Brazil arrived in Chile as hot favourites once again, and all eyes were on Pele. The world expected him to enchant everyone with his magic, just as he had done in 1958.

However, fate had written a different script. In their second group-stage match against Czechoslovakia, Pele collapsed while taking a shot. It was a severe groin injury. In an era before substitutes were permitted, Pele had to finish the match limping at one end of the pitch. Though the game ended in a goalless draw, Brazil's World Cup dreams seemed to have teetered onto the edge of an abyss.

Pele’s injury cast a shadow of grief over the Brazilian camp. Their star man, their goal machine, Pele was everything. Could this Brazil retain their title without him?

Just as the footballing world began to hear the death knell for Brazil’s campaign, an unexpected saviour stepped into the spotlight.

It was Garrincha. A childhood battle with polio had left his right leg shorter than his left, and both his knees were abnormally curved. Doctors had once predicted he would struggle even to walk normally. Yet, defying his physical disabilities, he had become the “Alegria do Povo”, meaning the “Joy of the People”.

In the final group game against Spain, Amarildo took Pele’s place on the pitch, but it was Garrincha who pulled the strings. After a quiet first half, he exploded into life in the second. He turned two Spanish defenders inside out before delivering a pinpoint cross for Amarildo to score, sending Brazil into the quarterfinals. Garrincha’s true magic was just beginning.

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Their quarterfinal opponents were England. The English defence was well-organised and disciplined, confident they could bottle up Garrincha with tight marking. But that day, Garrincha was in a mood of wild abandon. Straying from his usual territory on the right wing, he began to dominate the entire frontline, reducing the English defenders to mere puppets.

What Garrincha achieved that day is written in letters of gold in football history. First, he scored with a thunderous header from a corner -- a rare feat for him. Then, English goalkeeper Ron Springett parried his bullet-like free kick, only for Vava to score from the rebound. The finale was a magical curling strike from Garrincha from outside the box. With a 3-1 victory, Garrincha single-handedly sent England home.

In the semifinals, Brazil faced the hosts, Chile. The stands echoed with the deafening roars of the Chilean fans, but to Garrincha, opponents and spectators were mere trivialities. He scored another brace in this match -- one with a fierce left-footed strike and the other with a header -- while also setting up a goal for Vava.

However, the match took a dramatic turn. Chilean defender Rojas had been relentlessly trying to stop Garrincha with repeated fouls. Eventually losing his cool, Garrincha struck Rojas with his knee. The referee immediately brandished a red card. As he left the pitch, a stone thrown from the stands struck Garrincha on the head. The Brazilian magician departed the field with blood streaming down his face.

A red card meant missing the final. But Brazilian officials swung into desperate action, appealing to FIFA. In those days, FIFA's disciplinary committee decided such matters by vote. Fortunately, the referee admitted he had not seen the foul directly but had issued the red card on the linesman's word. Garrincha survived the vote!

The stage for the final was set against Czechoslovakia once more. But before the match, another crisis hit: Garrincha was suffering from a high fever. Doctors were forced to administer a heavy dose of aspirin. Burning with fever, he took to the field for the final. He may not have scored, but his mere presence was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the Czech defenders.

The entire Czechoslovakian defence was preoccupied with stopping a delirious Garrincha. Zito, Vava, and Amarildo took full advantage of the space, securing an unforgettable 3-1 win for Brazil. In Pele’s absence, Garrincha had carried the team on his shoulders to secure Brazil’s second consecutive World Cup.

He finished with four invaluable goals in the knockout stages alone. Alongside sharing the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer, he was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. Just as Diego Maradona would single-handedly win the World Cup for Argentina in 1986, Garrincha had achieved that very feat for Brazil 24 years earlier.

In later life, Garrincha’s tragic battle with alcoholism led to his death at the age of just 49. But the 1962 World Cup in Chile remains his permanent legacy in the annals of football history. The angel with the crooked legs showed the world that football is not just a game of physical strength -- it is pure art.