1986: the most Tricolor World Cup in history | OneFootball

Forty years ago, fans witnessed the most São Paulo-filled World Cup of all time. The club was represented by no fewer than six players: Oscar, Falcão, Müller, Careca, and Silas for the Brazilian National Team, plus Darío Pereyra for Uruguay.

And more than that, it was the World Cup with the highest number of goals scored by a Tricolor player, who finished as the tournament’s runner-up top scorer and even won an important award. Check it out!

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Careca’s World Cup

Striker Careca scored five goals in that World Cup (against Algeria; Northern Ireland, twice; Poland; and France), making him Brazil’s top scorer in the tournament with an average of one goal per game.

Wearing the number nine shirt, he received the Silver Ball as the competition’s runner-up top scorer, behind England’s Gary Lineker, who scored six goals. For Tricolor, between 1983 and 1987, Careca scored 115 goals in 191 matches, winning the 1986 Brazilian Championship and the 1985 and 1987 São Paulo State Championship.

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Relive the great striker’s goals at the 1986 World Cup:

06/06/1986 Brazil 1 x 0 Algeria

Photo: Rudi Schrader

For Careca’s first World Cup goal for Brazil, Müller sent a cross into the box without much intent or accuracy, but the defender made a dreadful mistake and the ball fell kindly to the scorer, who only had to tap it into the net, scoring Brazil’s only goal in a match that turned out to be much tougher than expected.

12/06/1986 Brazil 3 x 0 Northern Ireland – twice

Photo by Max Colin

Careca’s second World Cup goal came from a move very similar to the previous one, curiously enough. Müller once again started the play on the right and, this time, with far more awareness and quality, sent in a low but powerful cross for the number 9 in the middle of the Northern Irish box. Taking advantage of the ball’s pace, Careca smashed it first time, giving the goalkeeper no chance to react.

But that still wasn’t enough in that match. His second goal came from a spectacular play by the forward, who exchanged passes with Zico in the box and finished, this time with his left foot, straight into the net. On top of everything, he was two-footed. An absolute star.

16/06/1986 Brazil 4 x 0 Poland

Photo: Bob Thomas

Against Poland, his teammates had already done their part, but it fell to the top scorer to convert his from the penalty spot. With more luck than judgment, Careca struck it at mid-height and not very hard, the goalkeeper got the slightest touch with his fingertips, and the ball teasingly kissed the right post before slowly, bounce after bounce, crossing the goal line.

21/06/1986 Brazil 1 x 1 France

Photo: Jean-Yves Ruszniewski

In the World Cup quarterfinals, Brazil started the clash against France on the front foot, and after a quick sequence of passes and one-twos between Müller and Júnior, the latter found Careca alone at the edge of the box. True to form, the striker blasted it into the goalkeeper’s left corner, and he barely even saw the ball go by. A shame that France later equalized and came out on top in the penalty shootout — which Careca did not even get to take part in…

Lots of São Paulo players

Another Tricolor player who featured in all five of Brazil’s matches was forward Müller. Wearing the number seven shirt, he started on the bench in the team’s first two games but earned a starting spot against Northern Ireland (he assisted one of Careca’s goals), Poland, and France. For the Morumbi club, Müller scored 160 goals in 386 matches across three spells and won practically everything he competed for with the team.

Falcão, the King of Rome, was signed by São Paulo for a fortune in 1985. At the 1986 World Cup, however, the number five only played in two matches, against Spain and Algeria, coming on as a substitute. For São Paulo, he scored 1 goal in 15 matches and won the 1985 São Paulo State Championship.

Silas also made two appearances at the World Cup. Wearing number 20, he played against Poland and France, coming on for Müller and Júnior. His record for Tricolor stands at 35 goals in 170 matches, along with the 1986 Brazilian Championship and the 1985 and 1987 São Paulo State Championship titles.

The only São Paulo player who did not get the chance to play in that World Cup was center-back Oscar, who wore number three. For Tricolor, Oscar captained the side and played 294 matches, scoring 13 goals, in addition to winning the 1986 Brazilian Championship and the São Paulo State Championship in 1980, 1981, 1985, and 1987.

It is worth noting that Tricolor could also have had goalkeeper Gilmar and forward Sidney in the Brazilian squad, but both players were ruled out through injury before the final call-up.

Also in Uruguay

The last Tricolor player at that World Cup was Darío Pereyra. The versatile player (he played as an attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, and center-back), who formed an unforgettable partnership with Oscar in Tricolor’s defense, reached the Round of 16 at the tournament. La Celeste earned a great result by drawing 1-1 with West Germany, but suffered a thrashing at the hands of the Danish Dynamite: 6-1. The aftermath was a 0-0 draw with Scotland. Wearing number 14, Darío only played in that first-round match.

After qualifying in third place in the group, they faced Argentina in the knockout stage. The team from the other side of the Río de la Plata came out on top and won 1-0. Darío was on the field, but there was nothing he could do to prevent Pasculli’s goal and his country’s elimination. Pereyra played for Tricolor until 1988, scoring 37 goals in 453 matches. He was a two-time Brazilian champion, in 1977 and 1986, and a four-time São Paulo State champion in 1980, 1981, 1985, and 1987.

Photo: Bob Thomas

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