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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 MAY 2014 Sport 24 WORLD CUP SPECIAL IGNACIO NAYA NO one else knows the Brazilian national football team like Mario Lobo Zagallo: a world champion both as player and as coach, the "Old Wolf " thinks no Brazil team can ever be compared with the one that won the 1970 World Cup, and he notes that fitness has be- come more important than tech- nique in contemporary football. "The Brazilian national team of 1970 is unforgettable," the 82- year-old former coach of that leg- endary team led by Pele told dpa. "That can never be compared to other national teams." Zagallo won the World Cup twice (1958 and 1962) as a player, once as a coach (1970), and an- other time as an assistant coach (1994). Besides, he was part of Brazil 's technical staff in 1998 and 2006. W hat is your first memory of the World Cup? I first watched the World Cup in 1950. I was a soldier, I was do- ing my military service, dressed in green fatigues, helmet, baton, boots and everything else. There was massive excitement when the two teams went out onto the pitch at Maracaná. Two hundred thousand people waving little white handkerchiefs, cheering for the Brazilian team, which was the clear favourite. Unfortunately things did not go well, we lost, and the little white handkerchiefs became one big white sheet to wipe the tears over Brazil 's defeat against Uruguay in the final. You later won four World Cup ti- tles, as a player and as a coach. And I was runner-up in 1998, when Ronaldo had a major physi- cal problem. He did play (the fi- nal), but the whole national team was traumatized. W hat happened ahead of that final? After lunch, Ronaldo had a problem in his room at the train- ing camp. His tongue rolled up. I did not think he would be able to play, so much so that I was going to field... - I can't even remem- ber the name of the player - to play in his position. At the time of the match, Ronaldo arrived from hospital without a problem, he had been subjected to every test and they found nothing, and he begged me for the love of god not to leave him out. It wasn't a technical problem, it was a physi- cal problem. He said: "Zagallo, I'm coming back from a French hospital. I have the results in my favour. Please don't keep me out of this final." I had a medical de- partment, they said nothing, and I had to make a decision. Today I wouldn't have acted any differ- ently: I would again field Ronaldo, because what happened in that match was a generalized trauma affecting all the players and all the technical staff, there is no doubt about that. I have to congratulate France for the exceptional player they had, Zidane, who for me was phenomenal. Today, I continue to insist that defeat had nothing to do with Ronaldo, but rather with apathy on the day of the match because of Ronaldo's problem. Was the "Maracanazo" of 1950 also a great trauma? Yes, of course, 1950 was a very great trauma, so much so that when I was Brazil coach in 1970, 1950 was all anyone talked about at the training camp. The play- ers had been 8 in 1950, they had nothing to do with 1950. A heav y atmosphere emerged, an at- mosphere that was not good for us. So much so that, in the first half, Uruguay scored the first goal and we managed to equal- ize 44 minutes into the first half. I was already thinking of making changes when Clodoaldo scored the equalizer. I changed noth- ing, it was rather a psychological problem. And we were a different team in the second half. W hat was the best Brazil team you ever saw? The 1970 World Cup is indisput- able, and it was shown in colour. Because the other great Brazilian national team was that of 1958, but in 1958 television was black- and-white. It did not have the same expression as in 1970. Was the 1970 national team dif- ferent? When I went to the 1970 World Cup, I launched radical change, because when I took over the Brazil team from Saldanha, who played 4-2-4, I thought: "We are not going to win this World Cup..." I changed so many things that Jairzinho, Tostao, Pelé, Riv- ellino and Gerson played in 1970. Those were five players who all played with the number 10 shirt, and I fielded them all together, and the national team evolved in an incredible way and showed that to the world. That can never be compared to other national teams. The Brazilian national team of 1970 is unforgettable. Has football changed? Of course today it is no longer the same as in the past. Today's football is very fast-paced, fitness has imposed itself over technique. There is good technique today too, but in the past technique was more important than fitness, there was more space to play. That football was more beautiful to watch. W ho are your favourites for 2014? All World Cup champions will be playing, so I think we can see great football. I will say Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain and Italy. Five countries. Let's see if I'm right or not. DPA Zagallo won the World Cup twice (1958 and 1962) as a player, once as a coach (1970), and another time as an assistant coach (1994). Photo by Marcus Brandt - DPA No one else knows the Brazilian national football team like Mario Lobo Zagallo: a world champion both as player and as coach. Photo by Sven Simon - DPA No one else knows the Brazilian national football team like Mario Lobo Zagallo: a world champion both as player and as coach, the "Old Wolf" thinks no Brazil team can ever be compared with the one that won the 1970 World Cup, and he notes that fitness has become more important than technique in contemporary football 'The Brazil of 1970 can never be compared to any other' - Mario Zagallo Download the MaltaToday App now