Bit of a gap then, but I really like spending time doing this and having been away for a few days, I reckon I should keep going just to keep me out of mischief. The Mrs agrees!
Pele scored his first World Cup goal on June 19th 1958, against Wales, and a fraction over 12 years later, on 21st June 1970, he scored his last goal in the World Cup. Coincidence! Worth knowing just in case you need to liven up some chat at the pub. This time, the opposition was Italy in the World Cup Final at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium in front of a 107,412 crowd. Pele scored the first goal in Brazil’s 4-1 victory.
Brazil  | 4–1 |  Italy |
|---|---|---|
Pelé  18'Gérson 66'Jairzinho 71'Carlos Alberto 86' | Boninsegna 37' |
With this 1970s, third win after their 1958 and 1962 World Cup victories, Brazil became the world's most successful national football team, surpassing both Italy and Uruguay, who each had two championships. Brazil also earned the right to retain the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently. (However, it was stolen in 1983 while on display in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered.) Brazilian coach Mário Zagallo was the first footballer to become World Cup champion as a player (1958, 1962) and a coach, and Pelé ended his World Cup playing career as the first (and so far only) three-time winner.
That victory saw Brazil become the first nation to win the World Cup three times,with Pele the only player to appear in each of those three finals. The hat-trick of victories saw Brazil allowed to keep the original World Cup – the Jules Rimet trophy – although sadly that was stolen in 1983 and, with no Brazilian equivalent top Pickles the dog (remember him?) it was never recovered and is believed to have been melted down.
On this day (21st June) in 2002,
Michael Owen gave England the lead against Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals, in Shizuoka in Japan, but goals from Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, (a free-kick from over 40 yards which beat David Seaman) saw 10-man Brazil into the Semi-finals against Turkey. What might have been!
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