Top team’s top scorer
Yet they said he might never play again
Achiever
By Steve Douglas

ONE of the more impressive sights on the world’s TV screens in June 1970 was Brazilian soccer star Jairzinho sweeping down on opposing defences and somehow stumbling through the crudest challenges to get in his shot.

When the Mexico World Cup started, right-winger Jairzinho was reckoned to be one of the many good players in the Brazilians said.

By the time it had finished he had been confirmed as one of the world’s greatest players. His seven goals made him Brazil’s top scorer. His most decisive contribution came in the crucial match against the former holders, England, at Guadalajara on June 7.

It was the meeting of the champions of the Old World against the champions of the New World. Everyone felt that the winners would go on to win the World Cup.

In the first half, England surprised the Brazilians with the skill of their counter-attacks. And England’s central defence was so well organised by skipper Bobby Moore that the Brazilians had only once looked like scoring — a Pele header which brought a miraculous save from the England goalkeeper, Gordon Banks.

Lucky rebound

In the 60th minute the Brazilians had a lucky break. Tostao, running at Moore, saw the ball rebound off the England captain’s legs. He picked up the rebound, turned back out on the left, and centred right-footed into the penalty area. The ball went straight to Pele.

Centre-half Brain Labone and left-back Terry Cooper closed on Pele, expecting him to shoot. But Pele, reading the situation brilliantly, stroked the ball wide to his right.

Cooper, who had been marking Jairzinho, stuck out a foot but missed. The ball was now in the path of Jairzinho who closed in and, as Banks came tearing off his line, thundered the ball right-footed across him into the far side of the goal.

It was the only goal of the game. Jairzinho collapsed under a pile of congratulating team mates.

Yet only a year before, he hardly expected to be playing for his country again. For someone who rode tackles so magnificently, Jairzinho had a reputation for being injury-prone.

In 1969 doctors told him he might never play again after breaking a hone in his left foot.

Special boot

The first bone-graft wasn’t a success. The surgeons tried again. This time, with the aid of a specially made football boot having an extra stud on the outside, Jairzinho gradually returned to full fitness.

But he still suffered from a corn on the part of his foot immediately above the extra stud.

Jairzinho was born in a town called Caxias, near Rio de Janeiro. When he was two, his father died. His mother, left with no money, had to work as a servant and Jairzinho was sent to live with an aunt. His mother sent money to pay for his food and schooling. Like most Brazilian youngsters, he played soccer barefoot in the streets. He was 15 before he wore his first pair to boots.

"They were so strange and uncomfortable that I could hardly move, and couldn’t kick the ball more than 10 yards," he recalls.

Flamengo, one of Brazil’s leading clubs, heard about him and offered him a trial. He got a job as a typist with one of the directors, but was sacked. Flamengo didn’t want him either.

Instead, he played for an amateur side called Torres Homens. One day, playing against Botafogo juniors he impressed the Botafogo coach, Paraguaio, and was offered a trial. He did well and at the age of 16, signed for Botafogo. He played either at centre-forward or outside-right.

In 1963, Jairzinho was selected for an all-amateur Brazilian side which won the Pan-American Games. His debut in the senior Botafogo side came against the Millionarios club of Bogota in the Libertadoes Cup. In the same side were such stars as Didi, Nilton Santos, Zagalo, manager of the Brazilian national side in 1970, and Gerson.

Switched positions

The next six years he was understudy to the great Garrincha, the world’s Number One outside-right. The only way he could get in the senior side was to try a different position. So he switched to centre-forward and played so well that he was selected for the Brazilian side in that position. His injury kept him out of the 1970 build-up, but Zagalo had faith in him and restored him to his favourite position of outside-right.

The Brazilians’ opening match in the 1970 World Cup was against the Czechs and Jairzinho scored two goals in their 4-1 victory. Then came his vital goal against England and one more in the 3-2 defeat of Romania. Brazil was through to the quarter-finals and Jairzinho added yet another goal in the 4-2 success against Peru.

Brazil’s semi-final opponents were the tough men from Uruguay. Jairzinho was marked by a sturdy full-back named Mujica who hacked him down three times in the first five minutes.

Jairzinho told him: ‘Go on, kick all you like. It won’t make any difference to the result because we’re still going to put six past you.’

In fact, Brazil won 3-1 and Jairzinho, inevitably, scored. He also scored in the final against Italy.

After so long as Garrincha’s deputy, he had finally arrived as a world star. — FF