It was 50 years ago that Garrincha put on his last show in a Brazil shirt. July 15, 1966. Goodison Park. In a A 3-1 defeat to Hungary, his first and only defeat for his country, the Angel with Bent Legs bowed out.
In the half-century since, the modern world of football is unrecognisable to the land in which he wrote his legend. Only mortality could keep up with him, leaving the great Mane Garrincha one of the sport’s greatest myths.
He left a legacy, planting the seeds for those who came after him. Not least seeds of his own. The greatest player of the history of Botafogo, and perhaps the world, produced a series of heirs during a life which he lived to the fullest, stretching as far as Sweden.
Closer to home, back in Pau Grande where Garrincha was born and raised, his great grandchildren are hoping to live up to the family name. Manuel and Felipe are all to aware of the royal footballing blood that flows through their veins them.
Rosangela’s grandson, Felipe is Botafogo fan and likes to listen endlessly to stories about his great grandfather. Among his favourite modern players is, of course, Neymar, who himself has been compared to Garrincha.
Felipe, Manuel and Gustavo look just as comfortable on the dirt-fields as they do on a freshly-laid, vibrant green astro-turf. And particularly on the old land where Garrincha himself spent most of his youth – and a fair bit of his adult life, too. The eldest, Gustavo has the bug. He dreams of being a professional footballer.
And the passion Garrincha left in Brazil is just as alive in Sweden. Ulf Lindberg was born from a brief relationship Garrincha had with a local during a trip to Sweden. Ulf never knew his father, but he too carries the admiration for one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.
He is always taking selfies in Brazil shirts and often takes to social media to talk about his father’s legacy. Ulf even visited his estranged family Pau Grande and met his father’s former team-mates Pele and Nilton Santos.
Ulf’s sons, Martin and Henrik, are football fanatics. Henrik, born in 1998, plays in the youth team of four-time Swedish champions Halmstad and has even represented his country at youth level. They too take great pride in their family’s footballing pedigree.
Garrincha visited Sweden only briefly but, as always, left something behind. His great footballing blood continues to run via the veins of his heirs.
r />
- Goal