1970 Final – Brazil vs Italy

Lore & Background

Brazil and Italy had previously met four times; their first encounter was in the semi-finals of the 1938 tournament, which Italy won 2–1. The most recent meeting between the two teams before the 1970 World Cup was at a friendly match at the San Siro on 12 May 1963, which Italy won 3–0.

In Their Own Story

The sun hangs low and white over the Azteca, the kind of light that bleaches colour from the stands and turns the pitch into a sheet of green fire. You can feel the altitude in your lungs before the first whistle, a thinness that makes every sprint feel borrowed. In the tunnel, Pelé is quiet, almost shy, running a thumb along the edge of his yellow jersey. Around him, the noise is a living thing—100,000 voices compressed into a single, sustained chord. The ball is kicked out. For twenty-nine minutes, the game is a negotiation, a series of small refusals. Then the header comes, and the chord breaks into a roar. You watch the second half from the touchline and understand, in real time, that you are not watching a match. You are watching a country decide what it means to be the best, and the world lean in to listen.

Reader's Guide

Brazil struck first, with Pelé heading in a cross by Rivellino in the 18th minute. Roberto Boninsegna equalized for Italy after a blunder in the Brazilian defence. In the second half, Gérson fired in a powerful shot for the second goal, and then helped provide the third, with a long free kick to Pelé who headed down into the path of the onrushing Jairzinho. Pelé capped his superb performance by drawing the Italian defence in the centre and feeding captain Carlos Alberto on the right flank for the final score. Carlos Alberto's goal, after a series of moves by the Brazilian team from the left to the centre, is considered one of the greatest goals ever scored in the history of the tournament. A total of seven outfield players from Brazil passed the ball until captain Carlos Alberto hammered the ball into the corner of the Italian goal following a pass across the Italian penalty area from Pelé, prompted by Tostão. The players involved in the passes in order were Tostão, Piazza, Clodoaldo, Pelé and Gérson. Clodoaldo beat four Italian players in his own half before passing to Rivellino who hit a perfect pass down the wing to Jairzinho. Jairzinho crossed from the wing to the centre of the box to Pelé who held the ball up to play a pass for Alberto to smash it home. The only outfield players not involved in the move were Everaldo and Brito, although the ball did ricochet off Everaldo's foot when he was nutmegged by Juliano in the tackle. With this third win after their 1958 and 1962 World Cup victories, Brazil became the world's most successful national football team at that time, surpassing both Italy and Uruguay, who each had two championships. The third title earned Brazil the right to retain the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently; it was stolen in 1983 while on display in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered. Thirty-eight-year-old Brazilian coach Mário Zagallo became the first footballer to win the World Cup as a player (1958, 1962) and a coach, as well the second youngest coach to win a World Cup, after Alberto Suppici in 1930. Pelé ended his World Cup playing career as the competition's first (and as of 2026, only) three-time winner.

Did You Know?

• Brazil's 1970 squad is generally revered as the best World Cup team.
• The final goal, scored by Carlos Alberto, was voted number 36 in the UK public's list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002.
• Mário Zagallo was the second youngest coach to win a World Cup, after Alberto Suppici in 1930.