Pele remained an idol of millions of football lovers across the world. Having been a part of three World Cup winning teams, Pele had reached a level, which would be extremely difficult to match in near future. But how many people know that Pele too had an idol and there was one footballer in Brazil, who Pele always felt was the greatest ever? Few in the world football arena these days remember Thomaz Soares da Silva, more popularly known as Zizinho. He was a magical midfielder, but has long been forgotten because he ended up on the losing side in the 1950 World Cup final against Uruguay.            

According to Pele, “I idolised Zizinho more than any other player. His passing, shooting and positioning were frighteningly good. He did everything so well and he was the complete player. He could play in midfield or up front and he could defend well too. He was a brilliant header of the ball and there weren’t many who could dribble like him either. He was a born creator. And on top of all that, he wasn’t scared to play dirty. He could be tough when he needed to.”

A report on Zizinho once said: “In writing their glowing testimonies, Zizinho’s admirers would often resort to poetry in expressing their wonder at his repertoire of skills, as if he were an artist rather than a sportsman. Sadly for the modern-day football fan, there is no surviving footage of the man in action. All we have to remember him by are these glowing accounts”. But unfortunately, he did not win the World Cup and was part of a team, which had to bear the tags of tragic heroes still today. The Brazilians worship the World Cup winners more than those who did not lift the trophy. And they are not ready to remember the boys of Maracanzo. Had Brazil not won the World Cup in 1958 in Sweden, perhaps, the legend of Zizinho might have stayed for a while.