He was only six years old when in his coat he was carrying pistols at the Allegri protests in the province of Rio Branco do Sul. No one could have imagined then that Joao, that little son of Gaspard Saldania, leader of the Revolutionary Party, would one day become the man who would make Brazil the five 10ars. The one who, after winning the 1970 World Cup, would remain in history as the leading National of all time.
A revolutionary from his cradle he knew the war both as a child and at the age of 18 as a war correspondent for Brazilian newspapers at the Landing of Normandy, which would mark the beginning of the end of World War II. He thus learned to tell and write the truth and not be able to keep his mouth shut. He would successively move from political writing to sports and in the 1950s would be considered the top football columnist in the country of the ball.
Only he would always be pointing. He was always a prominent member of the Communist Party of Brazil, but the country was repeatedly plagued by dictatorships. That was also the hard reason that a few years earlier he had been forced to not play football again. As a player of Botafogo there was nothing great, but in an anti-dictatorial demonstration he was shot in the leg and never played in his life.
Brazil after the casino in the Mundial
It took Boota for two years and led her to the Carioca Regional title (wider Rio de Janeiro). Only his communist beliefs prevented him from working on the 1959 bench again. He returned to writing, until something incredible happened exactly 10 years later. Brazil, after the casino in the 1966 World Cup, was experiencing a huge football crisis. Respondents were divided into Rio and Sao Paulo, to the point where there was terrible criticism to each other and no one could bridge the gap.
One day 1969 rang Joao Saldania's phone. At the other end of the line was the infamous Joao Havelanze. The President of the Federation asked him to take over the National for the 1970 World. He explained that the reasons for his choice were two: Initially everyone appreciated his knowledge of the game and, therefore, being the No1 columnist, the press would no longer criticize the team so much. Saldania accepted and began to set up.
In front of him he had only one year to work. He immediately made his choice. Pick 22 players, and clear the roles. There would be 11 core and 11 alternates with discrete roles and together they would be running a strong set for the Mexican stadiums. In the first nine games of the qualifying and friendly matches, he counted a number of wins, a record that only Spain's Vicente del Bosque would surpass 2009. Everything was perfect. The press was dropping, the country was now believing in a National, and everyone was happy.
Politically correct
Only there was a huge problem that could not be changed. Saldania was left-wing and Emilio Garastazu Medici was ruled by Brazil. The latter was constantly pushing Havellance to replace the federal elector, who always spoke openly with sympathy for Stalin, Mao and Che. The dictator himself gave the cause. Medici wanted in a mission for the Mundial a player who was left out, Atletico Minneiro striker Darius.
This time, too, Saldania did not speak out loud: "I would advise the President to leave me the choice of players and that he should take better care of the choice of his cabinet." A few hours later Havellance would call him on the phone and announce his dismissal. Only a few days before the trip to Mexico, the clearly politically correct, Mario Zagalo, took over. The latter took Dario with him, but he did not throw a minute in a fight.
Between ball and wars
Other than that, Zaggalo did not mind at all. His starting XI was the one set by his predecessor: Felix, Brito, Plaza, Claudonaldo, Everaldo, Carlos Alberto, Zairezino, Gerson, Tostao, Pelé, Rivellino, led Brazil to play the most beautiful phase. Only that team with the five 11s (Pelé, Tostao, Rivellino, Gerson, Zairezino) will forever remain in history as a creation of Joao Saldania, perhaps the top coaching mind (s.s .: together with Tele Santana), who always shouted for equality, against fascism and who tried to explain to everyone that he was not a coach.
And after living his whole life between ball and wars,… handed it over as it should: during a broadcast in Italy in 1990, commenting on his favorite Brazil at the World Cup!
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