5 of the Best Moments of Mané Garrincha's Career

Mané Garrincha is Number 11 in 90min's Top 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time Series.

Brazil have produced many of the greatest footballers the world has ever seen. And near the top of that list in none other than Mané Garrincha, the diminutive right-winger who remains arguably the most talented natural dribbler to play professional football.

Blessed with a uniquely magnificent skillset, Garrincha's talent isn't remembered in solely individual terms. He played a pivotal role in Brazil's successive World Cup triumphs in 1958 and 1962, and set the world alight with his dazzling dribbling abilities.

And, as one of his nation's supreme entertainers, he enjoyed a number of wondrous moments on the pitch, most of which inevitably led to some degree of individual, or collective recognition, but given the iconic impact he had on Brazil as a footballing nation, both on and off the pitch, we had no option but to sift through just some of his greatest footballing moments.

1962 World Cup, Golden Ball & Golden Boot Winner

Today is the birthday of the two time World Cup winner, Garrincha. He won the World Cup golden ball and boot in 1962, stepping up in the absence of Pele who was injured during the tournament. pic.twitter.com/TgNom0mLTh
— Brasil Football 🇧🇷 (@BrasilEdition) October 29, 2019

The Seleção may have been slightly worried at the sight of star man Pelé limping off injured in his country's second appearance at the 1962 World Cup finals. Could anyone step up to the plate?

You betcha. Garrincha hit incomparably extraordinary levels of performance from that point onwards. His excellence guided his nation to yet another World Cup win - there was noone on the planet, let alone in the tournament, who could come close to the standards set by Garrincha's gargantuan performances.

His two strikes against England in the quarter-final, and two more against Chile in the semis earned him the Golden Boot. His delectable dribbles set the world alight, and he was crowned Player of the Tournament. Not many can say they've won the World Cup, let alone two prizes for individual excellence simultaneously.

'A Phenomenon' As Brazil Win Their First World Cup in 1958

Beautiful old photograph RT @AntiqueFootball: Garrincha v Sweden, 1958 pic.twitter.com/1CQWZspDbh
— Howler Magazine (@whatahowler) February 17, 2014

It was unclear whether Garrincha would have a role to play ahead of the 1958 World Cup finals, but manager at the time, Vincente Feola, decided to give his dribbler-supreme a go. Safe to say he won't have regretted his decision.

Both him and Pelé were making their international debuts and tore tournament favourites the USSR to shreds in their first start together. Then, after Brazil progressed through to the semi-finals, Wales full-back Mel Hopkins famously stated that Garrincha was capable of 'sheer magic' as the Canarinha edged to a 1-0 victory.

Garrincha was the unsung hero of Brazil's victory over Sweden in the final. He assisted both of his country's goals after effortlessly gliding past his defender, and crossing in for his teammate, Vavá, to score on both occasions.

Signing For Botafogo

Garrincha spent almost his entire career at Botafogo. And, the context of his arrival remains a memorable narrative. After he signed for the club in 1953, club officials watched on in awe as he humiliated a Brazilian international defender with 16 caps to his name - by dribbling past him and nutmegging him in the process.

And, in extraordinary circumstances, Nílton Santos - the seasoned professional who had just been made a mockery of by a 20-year-old - insisted that Botafogo signed Garrincha immediately.

The rest is history. He netted a hat-trick on his first-team debut for the club, and scored 232 times across 581 fixtures during an illustrious career at the Brazilian club.

Making a Mockery of Fiorentina

Garrincha mot Fiorentina 1958. pic.twitter.com/iv9jWUHAef
— Оскар Унеланд 🧉 (@Futboldelamor12) October 28, 2017

Just ten days before the 1958 World Cup Finals commenced, Garrincha scored one of, if not the, greatest goal he ever managed throughout his career. And, the video above doesn't quite represent just how excellent it was.

Brazil were playing Fiorentina in a friendly - their final warm-up ahead of the finals - and Garrincha took it upon himself to give the globe just a glimpse of what was to come over the next decade.

Driving through the Fiorentina defence, he beat four men effortlessly before rounding the goalkeeper. Ordinarily, you'd anticipate the dribbler to roll the ball into an empty net at this point. Well, Garrincha was no ordinary footballer. Instead, he waited for a defender to sprint back into position, before chopping back inside and sliding the ball into the net. Clearly, he felt compelled to make life more challenging for himself.

And he did. In the aftermath of such an outrageous goal, Brazil's coaches were upset with the audacity he demonstrated, feeling that it reflected an irresponsibility on Garrincha's part. He was dropped for the first two fixtures of the finals. Hilarious.

Iconic Farewell Fixture in 1973

Inevitably, all good things must come to an end. And, Garrincha decided to call time on his professional career in 1973. He was given quite the send-off.

A testimonial fixture was organised, and a Brazil side including Garrincha and Pelé side by side took on a FIFA world XI at the Maracanã Stadium. 131,000 people got a final glimpse of Garrincha in all his glory.

Despite the desperately difficult circumstances that consumed his personal life as a result of his alcoholism, Garrincha's excellence was recognised after his premature death aged 49; he was named as a member of the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team in 1994, and the World Team of the 20th Century afterwards.

90min's 'Top 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time' can be found here.

Number 50: Luka Modric

Number 49: John Charles

Number 48: Hugo Sanchez

Number 47: Jairzinho

Number 46: Omar Sivori

Number 45: Paolo Rossi

Number 44: Paul Breitner

Number 43: George Weah

Number 42: Kaka

Number 41: Lev Yashin

Number 40: Gunnar Nordahl