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Vava was the first man to score in two finals. Allsport/Hulton/Archive |
A goalscoring hero of Brazil’s World Cup successes in 1958 and 1962, Vava was the first man to score in two tournament finals. Only Pele and Paul Breitner have emulated his achievement since.
Vava was moved from inside left to center forward to accommodate the 17-year-old Pele in Brazil’s team during the 1958 finals. The switch was to his benefit. With Garrincha and Mario Zagallo working their tricks on the wings the tall, strong Vava was the perfect man to convert their crosses into goals.
He had already scored twice in a 2-0 win over the Soviet Union, and in the semifinal against France he scored the first of Brazil’s five goals in the first minute. Two Garrincha crosses brought two more goals for Vava in the final, a 5-2 demolition of host Sweden.
Vava was recalled by Brazil for its title defense in Chile four years later, having spent a disappointing spell with Atletico Madrid in the years in between. With Garrincha and Zagallo still dominating the Brazilian flanks, the goals once again came from the wings.
Vava scored in the 3-1 win over England in the quarterfinals and then scored with two headers as Chile was beaten 4-2 in the semis. Finally, Czechoslovakia was beaten 3-1 with Vava taking advantage of a goalkeeping error to score Brazil’s third and his ninth World Cup goal.
