US paper lists Flamengo icon Zico among best never to win World Cup | OneFootball

What are Zico’s World Cup numbers?

Brazil’s national team continues its pursuit of the dream of a sixth World Cup title at the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, the American newspaper ‘The Athletic‘ made a list of the greatest players of all time who never won the tournament and mentioned Zico, the greatest idol in Flamengo’s history.

— A truly complete attacking midfielder, capable of dazzling dribbles, precise passes, and goals in equal measure to elite strikers. Brazil’s 1982 national team, along with the Netherlands team of 1974, is one of the most celebrated among those that never won the tournament. And Zico was its main player -, it said, before concluding:

— He was a brilliant free-kick taker and found the net against Scotland with a magnificent free kick. Then, he scored twice against New Zealand, including an unusual bicycle kick goal. But those were easy games, and Zico saved his best performance for the clash against Argentina; Zico against Diego Maradona -, the newspaper concluded.

What are Zico’s World Cup numbers?

The greatest idol in Flamengo’s history, Zico played in three World Cups over the course of his career. The eternal No. 10’s first appearance was in 1978, in the tournament held in Argentina. Thus, the former player played six matches, scoring one goal.

In addition, Zico also played in the 1982 World Cup. Already a world champion and Libertadores winner with Flamengo, the ‘Galinho’ was the main name in Brazil’s national team, but he was unable to lead Brazil to the title. He played five matches, with four goals and four assists.

Finally, Zico ended his World Cup appearances in the 1986 edition, held in Mexico. Despite missing the first two matches because of an injury to his left knee, Flamengo’s No. 10 played three matches, with one assist.

What is Brazil’s next game in the World Cup?

With Zico cheering them on, Brazil is preparing for the World Cup round of 16. This Sunday (05), the Brazilian national team faces Norway at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details of the match between Brazil and Norway through its website, YouTube channel, and on its social media. However, Globo (free-to-air TV), SBT (free-to-air TV), SporTV (pay TV channel), GE TV (Globoplay), and CazéTV (YouTube) will broadcast the match.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.