Brazil’s ‘eternal captain’ Carlos Alberto dies at 72

RIO DE JANEIRO: Carlos Alberto, the revered captain of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup-winning side, considered one of the greatest of all time, died on Tuesday aged 72.

The right-back starred alongside Pele, Tostao, Jairzinho and Rivelino in the legendary Brazil team that beat Italy 4-1 in the 1970 final.

He scored one of the best World Cup goals in the Mexico City final, running onto a Pele pass and smashing in a thunderous right-footed shot.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of my friend and brother @capita70. Dear God, please take care of our ‘Capitao’ (captain). Rest In Peace,” said Pele in an emotionally-charged Twitter post alongside a black and white picture of Carlos Alberto comforting him as he cries.

Carlos Alberto died of a heart attack here, according to Sportv, for whom he worked as a pundit. Tributes immediately poured in from around the world.

“An example of leadership both on and off the field, a great friend who always treated me with great affection,” said former Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star Ronaldinho, a World Cup winner in 2002.

“Rest in peace eternal captain.”

Carlos Alberto won more than 50 caps for his country — missing the ill-fated 1974 World Cup trophy defence due to injury — and was later named by FIFA in a list of the 100 greatest living players in 2004.

Carlos Alberto hung up his boots in 1982 and started his coaching career with Rio giants Flamengo, winning a Brazilian title before working in the United States, Colombia, Mexico, Oman and Azerbaijan.

After giving up coaching, he became a television pundit for Sportv.

He was frequently asked about the World Cup final goal — the culmination of a sublime nine-pass move — which earned him a special FIFA trophy in 2006.

“I remember everything about that goal. We knew before the game it could happen because we knew how the Italian team played. They played man-to-man on the central line. They followed our forwards,” he said in 2006.

“We only realised how beautiful the goal was after the game. The emotion, of course, when I scored that goal was incredible, but after the game, and still today, I realise how beautiful and how important that goal was because everybody is still talking about it.”