Research Paper On Garrincha

Garrincha: The Dark Legend
The greatest of all time is a never ending debate. Legends like Pelé, Maradona, Ronaldinho, Zidane, and even Messi make the conversation worldwide, but there is one name you will only hear in Brazil: Garrincha. In Brazil, Garrincha is considered by many at the same level as Pelé, an undisputed legend. While it would be ideal to compare Garrincha's lack of “legend status” to multiples legends, the context of this investigation will only compare Garrincha to his countrymen, Pelé, and then offer a modern comparison to see if the factors that attribute to Garrincha’s lack of fame are still seen today with a player like N'Golo Kanté. On the field attributes, as well as off the field characteristics will factor into the
While this may seem like a minor difference the impact is stunning. With only a couple of exceptions, the majority of players who have achieved “legend status” play in the middle of the field (wither that be a center back, center midfielder, forward, or striker). Also a disproportionate of Ballon d’Or (the award for the best football player in the world for the year) goes to forwards with 36 of 59, approximately 61%, won by forwards (Smith). This shows that society values offensive production and flair more than defense consistency and conservatism, but Garrincha was both flamboyant and known for his offensive runs with the ball. Many say the same about Pelé. The difference is where the two would do their work. Pelé was the centerpiece for Brazil, Santos and New York, working his magic in the middle of the pitch while Garrincha was primarily along the right touchline. This minor difference may lead to a large difference in the way society perceives the two. With Pelé in the middle he is seen more directly contributing to the goals and likely more consistently involved with the play. On the other hand Garrincha’s contributions were likely seen as less common and more niche. Thus positions likely did play a role in how spectators perceived the two players, and influenced social
Pelé was a very direct goal scoring forward whose career statistics are nothing short of incredible. In 1336 matches (played for both club and country) Pelé scored an astonishing 1283 goals with a game to goal ratio of 0.94. To make this even more incredible, in International competition Pelé had scored 24 goals in just 18 games with a game to goal ratio of 1.33. These statistics are absurd as no other player comes close to these numbers. Garrincha on the other hand scored a total of in 115 goals in 398 games for club and country producing a game to goal ratio of 0.29 goals per game. These statistics are key because this may be one of the largest differences between Pelé and Garrincha. Is it possible that because Pelé was so offensively productive and Garrincha was not is the reason one is a legend and one is forgotten? Quite possibly. Society values some things over another. In football, a goal is much more sought after than a save. This is seen as only one goalkeeper has won the Ballon d’Or winner and 61% of the awards goals to forwards. FIFA also awards the goal of the year with the Puskas award, yet they have no award for the save of the year. Goals are very important, but don’t assists also matter? Garrincha was not known for his runs through the middle and scoring, he was known for dismantling defenders along the sideline and sending crossed into the box