Tuesday 13 June 2017, 12:10

Garrincha and Pele’s Brazil in numbers

It was an ensemble so exhilarating that it converted foes into fans. King Gustaf VI Adolf led 50,000 Swedes to the Rasunda to boo Brazil’s every move. They ended up cheering Garrincha’s hypnotic body-swerves, Pele’s sombreros and some sumptuous A Seleção goals. Four years later, despite having seen Garrincha mercurially end their FIFA World Cup™ hopes – and get sent off for kicking one of their players – the Chilean public pleaded for him to be able to play in the Final. He did. Brazil wrote history. This is the tale of their back-to-back conquests – in a statistical font.

55
20
18
17
10
9
5
4
3
2