Manoel Garrincha

Garrincha is perhaps the greatest anomaly in football history. A man who, by today’s standards, would likely never be allowed onto a football pitch: strabismus, a deformed spine, pelvic imbalance, and a left leg six centimeters shorter than the right. Yet these congenital flaws became his greatest strengths. His dribbling was legendary, and it is no coincidence that he is almost unanimously considered the greatest right winger in the history of the game. He was a key figure in the 1958 World Cup and, above all, in 1962, when he carried Brazil after Pelé’s injury against Czechoslovakia. His performances in the 1962 World Cup remain among the most extraordinary ever seen in an international tournament. Garrincha should not be imagined as a traditional winger, he could do everything. He was incredibly agile and explosive, delivered powerful and precise crosses, took corners and free kicks with outstanding quality, and possessed a strong and accurate shot, as shown by the 250 goals he scored for Botafogo. He had a pure, childlike, almost innocent spirit, not inclined toward sacrifice, seeing football purely as a game, a source of joy, perfectly embodying the style known as futebol moleque, an anarchic, improvised approach free from tactical constraints, the complete opposite of European football. With Botafogo, where he was a central figure for a decade, he won multiple Campeonato Carioca titles as well as Rio-São Paulo tournaments. He ended his career in poverty in Italy.