Serie A stars in the World Cup, 1950 / Ghiggia, the man who made Brazil cry

Brazil 2014

SERIE A STARS IN THE WORLD CUP In the post-war edition Uruguay beat the hosts in their brand new stadium. One of the main authors of that epic game, the Maracanazo, was a brilliant winger with a rococo moustache

by Federico Formica

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The war was over and twelve years after the French edition, the World Cup made its comeback. Europe hosted the two previous editions and the continent was still devastated by World War II, so the choice was inevitable: Brazil was the host and to celebrate the occasion, they built a huge brand-new stadium: the Maracana, with a capacity of 165,000 people. The Cup returned with two important changes: its official name became the Jules Rimet Cup, in honor of Jules Rimet, who was considered the father of the competition; and it was decided that the National team that would win it for three times would keep the trophy forever. Having won it already twice, Italy was in a good position, but this was an awful period for the Azzurri.

Only a few months earlier, one of the greatest Italian sides ever, Torino, disappeared in a tragic air crash. The Grande Torino was the backbone of the Italian national team, so the chances to win at Brazil 1950 became zero. In fact, Italy left Brazil after the first round. The Group stage was imperfect, as three teams bailed out and one group was composed of three teams and another by two. The 1950 World Cup was historic for another reason: England participated for the first time. And they did it with a very good squad: Stanley Matthews and Alf Ramsey (England's World Cup winning manager in 1966) were the stars. But the English were incredibly beaten by USA in their first game. To better understand the absurdity of such a result: the news flash, whose title was “England-USA 0-1,” was considered a typo by the journalists in the English newspapers and was corrected to “10-1.”

England were eliminated in the first round just like Italy. The World Cup also had a strange formula; after the first round, a final group stage was composed. No semifinals, no final: it seems incredible today, but that really happened 64 years ago. The winner of that group would become world champion. Brazil faced Uruguay in a comfortable position: they were one point clear of the Celeste and a draw would have been enough to win the trophy. After the 1-0, Brazil never stopped attacking: they wanted to win hands down. But they exposed themselves to Uruguay's counter-attacks. Alcides Ghiggia and Juan Alberto Schiaffino punished them: 1-2. The shock was immense for Brazilians. For some, it was even unbearable: many Brazilians committed suicide. This 2014 World Cup is the chance to avenge such a national tragedy.

Alcides Ghiggia, 1926. 12 caps and 4 goals for Uruguay, 5 caps and 1 goal for Italy. World Champion 1950. “Only three people managed to silence the Maracanà: Frank Sinatra, the Pope and me.” The name of Alcides Ghiggia has been a nightmare for two generations of Brazilians: his goal in the 79' minute gave Uruguay its second World Cup, making a country fall into a deep and long-lasting depression. But that goal has still a bittersweet taste for him. “I never saw so much sadness as that day. And that was the best moment for me and my people...” said Ghiggia in a recent interview. Three years after that World Cup, Ghiggia landed in Rome, where he played for 8 seasons: 201 caps and 19 goals. He was a tricky, fast winger with a good shot and a spectacular dribbling. He preferred assists to goals: with Dino Da Costa he composed a fantastic duo in the Giallorossi's jersey.

He was a bit inconsistent, but his technique and his genius were undisputed. Ghiggia soon became an idol of Roma fans. His charming moustache became legendary in the city of La Dolce Vita. Ghiggia loved the nightlife although he was frequently chased by the Paparazzi. He ended his Italian career at Milan, where he played only four matches before returning to Uruguay. As it frequently happened at that time, Ghiggia became a naturalized Italian citizen and he even played in the Swedish World Cup in 1958 with the Azzurri. Ghiggia is the last survivor of the Maracanazo, the legendary final game of Brazil 1950.