Alex Bellos finds the grand old man of Brazilian football a little frailer than of yore but still raring for the fray
If one man personifies the World Cup for Brazil it is not Pele, or Garrincha, or even Ronaldo or Ronaldinho. It is Mario Jorge Lobo Zagallo, the most decorated World Cup footballer of all time.
Germany is Zagallo's eighth World Cup and he has amassed an unrivalled haul of four winners' medals. He was victorious as a player in 1958 and 1962, as coach in 1970 and as assistant coach in 1994. His first experience of the World Cup was as a soldier in 1950 when he was part of the security operation at the Maracana stadium, and he was also Brazil's coach in 1974 and 1998. He is back this year, as in 1994, as Carlos Alberto Parreira's number two.
The 74-year-old Zagallo is finally beginning to show his age. He had surgery on his lower intestine last year and looks considerably frailer than before his operation. The ailment - an intestinal blockage - was ironic bearing in mind that his catchphrase is, "You will have to swallow me whole," - his way of telling his critics they will simply have to take him as he is.
Yet he has lost none of the spark in his eyes and never lowers his voice beneath a battle cry: "I'm not at the World Cup with 110 volts, like in Brazil, I'm here with 220 - the European voltage."
Zagallo the player was a solid but unfancy winger, and as a coach his reputation is not for flair but for a methodical and conservative approach. He rejects the frequent comment in Brazil that the players are so good the role of coach is almost redundant.
"Coaching the national team is much more difficult than coaching a team that doesn't have as many great players as we do.
"It is difficult to know who to call up and what positions to give them because we don't just have 23 people who could make the team, we have 40. Our problems are greater. Look what happened to Real Madrid. Before the league started they thought they were already champions because they were full of excellent players. And they ended the season 12 points behind Barcelona.
"Brazil is a factory that makes great players, more than any other country, consistently. I like to make a joke: it's because Brazilian men and Brazilian women are really good at it - you know what I mean - that so many players are born.
"If one country has two exceptional players then Brazil will have five. We have a numerical superiority. So if any of our players are injured we have world-class substitutes. But this doesn't mean we will win the World Cup."
He is keenly aware of the problems such an abundance of talent can create. "Brazil are going for a sixth title, which is something that has never happened before. Everyone wants to beat us. They are all saying we are the great favourites, and that's what we have to work against. The psychological preparation of our players will be fundamentally important. We need to make sure that the yellow shirt is feared, that our opponents are scared of us. That's what we need to put in our players' heads."
He disagrees, however, with the cliche that favourites never win World Cups: "That's not the issue. Brazil have always been favourites. When the moment of truth arrives, we can do the business. The important thing is that you have to have a good team. And we do."
In 1994, with Parreira and Zagallo at the helm, Brazil ended a 24-year World Cup drought. Victory, however, was bittersweet because the final was won on penalties and Brazil did not play with the fluidity and flair they pride themselves on. Do Brazil in 2006 play the "beautiful game"?
"Yes. With huge difficulties, but we do. It used to be much easier, since there was more space. But now 100 metres is a small distance and there is lots of congestion on the pitch. But even with this, and playing against this type of modern marking that all the other teams use, Brazil still try to play positive football."
He adds that playing with style is not an end in itself: "It's not worth playing beautifully and losing. I want to play ugly and win. I want to play beautifully and win. The important word is 'win'. There is no point playing beautifully and not getting anywhere. What history remembers is results. Nothing more."
When it comes to discussing players, Zagallo talks about the current stars with perspective: "Romario and Ronaldo have been best in the world. Now it's Ronaldinho's turn. But that will pass and there will be another kid on the block."
Why does Ronaldinho play deeper for Brazil than for Barcelona? "He plays in the same sector in both teams. When we started the World Cup qualifiers Ronaldinho was playing up front. We were playing 4-3-1-2 and he was in the front with Ronaldo. Then we modified things. We went for the square (Ronaldo and Adriano in front, Ronaldinho and Kaka behind). He is now on the left side, which is the side he plays on at Barcelona, even if the position is slightly different. But this is the way Brazil play. We are not going to imitate Barcelona, we are not going to imitate anyone - we have won the World Cup five times. People might like to copy us but we won't copy anyone.
"We have our own style of play. Many people say we are a great team with flaws - but with these flaws we have won the Copa America, the Confederations Cup and the World Cup qualifying group."
Zagallo's somewhat folksy image has been cultivated by the media, who play up his connection to the supposedly unlucky number 13 - he always wears a shirt with 13 on the back.
"It started with my wife. She is a devotee of St Anthony, whose saint's day is on June 13th. At the beginning of my career I had a lot of victories in a row. The press started going on about the good luck that the number 13 brought me and I went along with it."
Does he realise this World Cup will be the 13th since 1958, his first as a player?
"Ha! No, I didn't know. But it is one more chapter in the history of the 13. You know, we are going to play our first match on June 13th, St Anthony's day, and Brazil and Croatia have 13 letters, which means there's something going on."
When Brazil play Croatia in Berlin next week, a nation will be hoping their talisman continues to have luck on his side.
Four winners' medals and counting
Sweden 1958
An integral part of the team that became the first - and so far only - non-European team to win the World Cup in Europe. Deployed as a left winger in an attacking 4-2-4 which had Pele and Vava up front, Zagallo played in all six games.
Scored Brazil's fourth goal in the final as they beat Sweden 5-2.
Chile 1962
Again played every minute of the campaign as Brazil retained their title, despite losing Pele to injury early on. Zagallo provided one of the most memorable moments of the tournament in the semi-final against Chile when he dribbled past several players to set up Vava, who made it 4-2 with 13 minutes remaining.
Mexico 1970
Took over as coach after João Saldanha was dismissed eight weeks before the tournament for his communist views and threat to drop Pele. Included the attack-minded quintet of Tostão, Gerson, Rivelino, Jairzinho and Pele in the starting XI, and it paid off, as his team played some of the most breathtaking football the world has seen.
USA 1994
Zagallo travelled to the tournament as an assistant to Carlos Alberto Parreira - who was a physical trainer in the World Cup campaign in 1970 - and contributed to the feel-good factor in a team feeling the pressure of the expectations in Brazil.
"It is an honour to have worked with Zagallo," said Ronaldo, a 17-year-old unused substitute at the tournament.
