The 30 best players in World Cup history
By James Dudko
2. Garrincha, Brazil
Garrincha won the trophy twice and had a reasonable case to be the epitome of the freestyle futsal Brazil used to dominate the global scene.
A twisting and turning wing wizard, Garrincha played the game with an impish joy. He tried things other players lacked the imagination, audacity and flair to even think of.
There wasn’t much Garrincha couldn’t make happen with the ball at his feet. Despite a deformity in both legs, his mazy, dizzying movements and scuttling swiftness left opponents snatching at air.
Garrincha first showed his brilliance at the 1958 finals in Sweden. He was the provider supreme for an awesome strike force led by Vava and a precocious Pele.
Their skills and Garrincha’s supply were too much for the host nation in a one-sided final Brazil won 5-2.
Yet Garrincha’s place among history’s greats was assured four years later. Pele missed out after succumbing to injury in Brazil’s opening match in Chile.
It put the onus on Garrincha to carry the team. The “Little Bird” responded with a tournament for the ages.
He scored twice against England in the quarterfinals, before bagging another brace, this one against the hosts, in the last four. Garrincha was still as generous as he had been in ’58, regularly teeing up Amarildo and Vava.
A 3-1 win over Czechoslovakia gave Garrincha his second and final trophy. His enduring legacy is the freeform spirit he played the game with at its highest-possible level.