The alternation rule between Europe and South America was broken for the second time in 1958, when Sweden was chosen to host the sixth edition of the World Cup. The competition started without two storied teams: Italy and Uruguay failed to qualify. The 1958 World Cup in Sweden made history when the strongest Brazilian side ever showcased its talents and above all a star was born: Pelé, whom many consider to be the best football player ever, alongside Diego Armando Maradona. After the failures of 1938 and especially 1950, Brazil managed to raise the Jules Rimet Cup for the first time. Pelé's World Cup started in the first round against the USSR, assisting Vavá's second  goal, and it was immediately clear that his presence would tip the balance between Brazil and their opponents.

 

His talent, his killer instinct in the penalty box (Pelé scored six goals in the 1958 World Cup) and his outstanding athleticism were something never seen before. It must be taken into account that Pelé played in an immensely talented team, led by a pragmatic coach (Vicente Feola, alias “o Gordo”, the fat man) and amazing footballers like Djalma and Nílton Santos, Didi, Vavá, Mário Zagallo, Garrincha and José Altafini. In 1958 Brazil started a long World Cup winning streak which lasted eight years: 13 games without a defeat, that ended in England in 1966. The record still stands.

 

The defending champions, West Germany, reached the semifinals, then they lost the third place play-off and were excluded from the podium. But in 1958 two other great sides emerged: the Swedish, who were led by Nils Liedholm, Kurt Hamrin, Gunnar Gren and Lennart Skoglund (they all played in Serie A), and the French. France's stars were Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine, who set an enviable record by scoring 13 goals in a single World Cup. Sweden reached the final and they truly deserved it. In the last act, they were crushed by Brazil 5-2. For five minutes, from the 4th to the 9th, the Scandinavians tasted the thrill of being World champions. Then Brazil retaliated and there was no more competition. Pelé won the World Cup aged 17 (and 239 days): another record. At the end of the game, O Rei wept tears of joy while Didi comforted him. An iconic moment of that beautiful World Cup in Sweden.

 

Nils Liedholm, 1922-2007, 23 caps and 12 goals for Sweden. Sweden was a great side in 1958; their second place is still their best result in a World Cup. The star of that side was an amazing playmaker, a perfect passer of the ball with a powerful shot; a metronome named Nils Liedholm. In 1958 Liedholm was 36 years old and he was captain and leader of the national team. Ten years earlier, he won the Olympic gold medal in London. “Liddas” spent the best years of his career at Milan. In 12 years at the highest level (from 1949 to 1961) he became an icon. The numbers say it all: 359 appearances, 89 goals in Serie A. Along with his fellow countrymen Gunnar Gren (midfielder) and Gunnar Nordahl (striker) he formed a fantastic trio, the legendary Gre-No-Li. Liedholm achieved great success in Rossonero as he won four Scudetti. Unfortunately for him, he hung up his boots two years before Milan won their first European Cup (the first ever for an Italian club). SerieAddicted put Liedholm in an ideal team of players who didn't win the Ballon d'Or although they deserved it.

 

But glory for Liedholm was not over, as he became one of the most talented coaches between the 70s and 80s, winning another two Serie A titles. He was apparently a glacial man, brilliant, ironic, self-deprecating and charismatic. The first title he won was with Milan (1978-1979), and was “lo scudetto della stella”, the tenth for the Rossoneri, which meant a golden star on Milan's jersey. Liddas won his second title with Roma in the 1982-1983 season, the first of a team playing with a zonal defence in a league where Catenaccio and man marking was dogmatic. Liedholm's aphorisms are still famous. “Players don't have to run, only the ball has to run. The ball doesn't sweat”, “Committing a foul, a player makes two mistakes. The first one because he gives possession to the opponent, the second because he gives a sign of weakness” and the most famous: “With ten players a team plays better than with eleven”. When he died in 2007, two cities mourned: Rome and Milan.

 

José Altafini, 1938, 8 caps and 4 goals for Brazil, 6 caps and 5 goals for Italy. World champion with Brazil in 1958. Together with the midfielder Dino Sani, he was the only Brazilian 1958 world champion to have ever played in Italy. But while Sani would reach Italy only in 1961, Altafini signed for Milan a few weeks before the World Cup started. In Sweden, Altafini was in competition with Vavá and it was said that Altafini was ostracised for having reached an agreement with a non-Brazilian side. But during the tournament he only managed to find the net twice. Altafini was a powerful striker, with great technique and an innate skill; he always was in the right place of the pitch in the right moment. He was also a sly and sharp player. His detractors (coach Gipo Viani among them) said that he disappeared from the most combatative clashes; Viani dubbed him coniglio (rabbit). Another of Altafini's nicknames was “Mazola” due to his resemblance with the great Valentino Mazzola, the legendary Torino player. Altafini was one of the most prolific goalscorers in Serie A: 216 in 459 games (120 goals with Milan's jersey). Taking into consideration the Italian Cup and other European competitions, his tally was even more impressive: 295 goals in 499 games.

 

At Milan Altafini won two Italian titles and the first European cup for an Italian club in 1963. The Brazilian's performance was decisive in the final against Benfica as he scored a brace (the final result was 2-1). In that edition of the European cup, “Mazola” scored 14 goals, a record which lasted for 51 years. Cristiano Ronaldo smashed the record in 2013-2014. After seven years in Milan, Altafini signed for Napoli where he formed an outstanding duet with the Argentinian Omar Sivori. In the shadow of Mount Vesuvius Altafini played another seven seasons without winning any trophies. Aged 34 he signed for Juventus, where he accepted to be a deluxe bench-warmer beside the young offensive duo of Anastasi and Bettega. But he was able, once again, to score decisive goals, giving an important contribution for two Serie A titles. His Italian origins led him to wear the Azzurri jersey: for the Italian national team he played 6 times scoring 5 goals. His affair with Italy ended with the disastrous 1962 World Cup. That was the year when Italy banned non 100% Italian players from la Nazionale.

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