3 legendary footballers who have won the World Cup as a player and manager
Winning a World Cup is not an easy achievement in football. Unlike club football, the opportunity to win a World Cup comes once in four years and the competition is really intense.
Some of the legendary footballers like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Johan Cruyff, Ferenc Puskas, Oliver Kahn, Michel Platini, Paola Maldini, Eusebio, Alfredo Di Stefano, and many more have not won the trophy during their playing days.
Also, some of the legends of the game like Bobby Charlton, Diego Maradona, and Lothar Matthaus have won the World Cup as a player but failed as a manager in the tournament. There is a saying in sports that great players don’t always make great managers.
However, few footballers have defied the odds and went on to win the World Cup as a player and manager. The list is very small and only three people in the history of world football have achieved this unique feat.
Without much ado, let's take a look at the three legendary footballers who have won the World Cup as a player and manager.
#3 Mario Zagallo
Mario Zagallo was a part of the famous Brazil squad that lifted the World Cup title in 1958 and 1962. Zagallo has played alongside Pele in the Brazil national team for many years and was capped 33 times between 1958 and 1964.
Primarily a left winger, the Brazilian can also play as a striker and has scored five goals in his career. He became the first person to win the FIFA World Cup as a player and as a manager. He did it in 1970 as a manager when he led Brazil to their third World Cup title. He was only 38 then and became the second youngest manager to win a World Cup title.
Mario Zagallo also won the title in 1994, but this time as an assistant manager for Brazil. To honour his outstanding contribution to the game of football, Zagallo was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit (highest honour given by FIFA) in 1992.