Brazilian legend and only four-time world football champion, Mario Lobo Zagallo, died on Friday at the age of 92, it was confirmed in a note published on his official Instagram account.
"It is with great sadness that we inform of the passing of our eternal four-time world champion Mário Jorge Lobo Zagallo," reads the brief statement on the death of the idol.
"A dedicated father, loving grandfather, loving father-in-law, faithful friend, victorious professional, and a great human being. Big idol. A patriot who leaves us a legacy of great conquests," the note added.
The cause of his death was not disclosed.
Zagallo, the only player to appear in four of Brazil's five World Cups - two titles as a player and two as a coach and assistant coach - had been hospitalized in Rio de Janeiro in August with a urinary tract infection.
But the former Seleção attacker had already had other recent health difficulties.
Following Pelé's death in December 2022, he was hospitalized for nearly two weeks with a respiratory infection.
As a left winger, the Old Wolf was part of the Brazilian team that won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, along with O Rei Pelé, the first two lifted by the Canarinha.
Pelé and Mario Zagallo before winning the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Photo: AP
He was also Brazil's coach in the 1970 title, assistant to the Seleção's triumph in 1994 and coach in 1998 when the Scratch lost the final to France.
The only two other athletes to win the World Cup as a footballer and coach have been Germany's Franz Beckenbauer (1974 and 1990) and France's Didier Deschamps (1998 and 2018).
The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ednaldo Rodrigues, decreed an official mourning period of 7 days for the death of the idol.
"The CBF and Brazilian football mourn the death of one of its greatest legends, Mário Zagallo. The CBF extends solidarity to his family and fans at this time of sorrow for the departure of an idol of our football," Rodrigues said in a statement.
Zagallo in action at the 1962 World Cup in Chile in a match between Brazil and England. Photo: AP
The South American Football Confederation also mourned the passing of the "football legend and only four-time champion," in a post shared on X, formerly Twitter.
Several Brazilian clubs began paying tribute to the idol on their official social networks on Friday.
"He left us a hero who shaped the history of Brazilian football. Zagallo enters for eternity as a revolutionary, a historical pillar of the sport," reads a note published by the Flamengo club of Rio de Janeiro.
Gremio de Porto Alegre, meanwhile, bid farewell to the "immortal of the four lines, a symbol of Brazilian football."
Mario Jorge Lobo Zagallo speaks in 2022 in front of the statue in his honor in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: REUTERS/Sergio Moraes
"He made history in our football, as an athlete, coach and manager," said Sao Paulo.
"Eternal Zagallo has 13 letters, Our King Pelé awaits you in the sacred kingdom," wrote Santos, the historic team of the 'king' of soccer, in X, the former Twitter, alluding to Zagallo's preference for that number.
Source: AFP