5 moments that immortalized Garrincha's Brazil shirt

Between 1955 and 1966, the Brazilian national team had in its ranks one of the greatest legends in the world of football: Garrincha.

Always eclipsed by Pele's magic, Garrincha proved decisive in the Brazilian genius's FIFA World Cup triumphs. For the fans, Garrincha and Pele were also very much loved. Just to say that the first was nicknamed the Happiness of the People.

And as it could not be otherwise, Garrincha's Brazil jersey absorbed part of his mystique, of his exploits on the pitch. The years do not pass for this elastic of the Canarinha, that still leads auctions that reach exorbitant prices.

Not many people know the physical oddities of this carioca genius. His feet were turned 80 degrees inwards (zambism), and his spine was not straight either. Even Canarinha's psychologist, João de Carvalahaes, called him "mentally weak". It's not a portrait of a football star, is it?

And yet, after Pele, Garrincha was the best dribbler of all time. His curious nickname came from his brother when he was still a child. It came from the bird Troglodytes musculus, native to the jungles of Mato Grosso. In Garrincha's words: "it is a very fast bird, but it is nothing, it does nothing. It is not a fine bird... Rather it is a bad bird, a poor bird that does nothing, but is faster than all the other birds". Curiously, the Brazilian star discovered the bird that would give it its nickname after hurting it with a slingshot when it was still a child.

In the following lines you will discover some of the most epic moments alive for Garrincha's shirt from Brazil: from his debut a few years before the World Cup in Sweden to the conquest of his first World Cup or his farewell in the World Cup in England. What are you waiting to discover them!

What are the most interesting moments experienced by Garrincha's Brazil jersey?

It was nicknamed in many ways: Mané, La Alegría del Pueblo, El Ángel de las piernas torcidas... The truth is that Manuel Francisco dos Santos (Garrincha) was the perfect companion for another giant of Brazilian football, Pelé.

But what made Garrincha's jersey with Brazil one of the bestsellers of the Carioca national team? Discover them!

1955: The debut of the Carioca genius

Garrincha's first Brazil jersey was paraded on the pitch in 1955, in a match against Chile in Rio de Janeiro. Before the World Cup in Sweden, Garrincha also played in the 1957 Copa America.

Those clothes did not have the white color that had been characteristic of Brazil in the first four editions of the World Cup, as the Maracanazo damaged the morale and pride of Cariocas in the 1950 World Cup. But this change of colors deserves a point apart.

Garrincha and his jersey, heirs of the Canarinha colours

Brazil's Garrincha jersey would not be understood without the Maracanazo, which was the impressive 2-1 defeat suffered by Uruguay in the final of the 1950 World Cup.

This turned out to be a decisive moment for the Canarinha, as the defeat really shook Brazilian society. The performance of the players was criticized, but even the colors used became the object of harsh attacks.

The result? The birth of the Canarinha itself, with the colours already well-known in Brazil. However, in the final of the 1958 World Cup there was a great irony. Because Sweden wore yellow, Brazil won the World Cup with blue outfits that they bought in a hurry and ran. The possibility of wearing white did not pass through their minds.

1958: Garrincha's first World Cup... blue dress

As mentioned above, Garrincha's Brazil jersey used post-maracanazo colours, being one of the first Carioca players to do so.

But the 1958 World Cup final will always be remembered for the outfit worn by Garrincha, Pelé, Didí, Vavá or Mario Lobo Zagallo: he had a blue shirt, white shorts and socks of the same color, with a yellow-green detail on the top of the sock.

As an additional curiosity, we will add that Canarinha never lost a single match with Garrincha and Pelé in the lead. They were a lethal tandem!

1962: The second World Cup has a Chilean flavour

Along with Didi, Djalma Santos, Amarildo, Nilton Santos and Gylmar dos Santos Neves, Garrincha faced the 1962 World Cup in Chile as reigning champions, winning his second world title against Czechoslovakia 3-1.

Garrincha's 1962 Brazil jersey stands out among the most emblematic. It was a typical outfit, as the Brazilian ones share this characteristic with those of Italy and England: there aren't many different outfits launched at different times.

But the 1962 one differed from the previous one by the detail of the socks: they were white, but with a yellow band surrounded by two finer greens at the top of the sock.

1966: Farewell to the Joy of the People

Brazil's Garrincha's last jersey had a bittersweet taste for the Carioca star, who along with Zito, Pele and Jairzinho saw his team eliminated in the 'group of death' along with Bulgaria, Hungary and Portugal.

It is now certain that the English Football Association arranged the groups and the referees against the Canarinha, who should not cross England (the same happened in the World Cup in France in 1998, in the words of Michel Platini).

However, the World Cup in England was won by the hosts against Germany. The Carioca team wore a classic dress design, with the Canarinha tricolor: yellow, blue and white, with details as unmistakable as the green band in the socks, the high neck of the same color or the detail of the short sleeves.

Although many years have passed, this design is still the one used by the players of the Brazilian national team. Today, the Canarinha is equipped with equipment designed by Nike, which signed a contract worth 400 million to eliminate the sponsorship of Umbro in 1996. This was one of the most expensive sports sponsorships in history!

Would you like to get hold of this and other historic World Cup apparel? In The Football Market you will find an endless number of vintage shirts from national teams such as Brazil.