Brazil avenging 'Maracanazo' final of 1950 would be ideal, says Pele
The 73-year-old legend is hoping to see his country savour sweet revenge against Uruguay in a 'dream' World Cup final
Brazil avenging their traumatic 1950 World Cup final defeat by beating Uruguay in the final in July would be the ideal result said Brazilian legend Pele.
The 73-year-old three-time World Cup winner said in answer to a question of whether he would like a Brazil v Argentina final on July 13 at the Maracana it would be much more to his taste to play Uruguay and beat them.
"I would prefer to have a Brazil v Uruguay final in order that we could avenge our defeat in 1950," Pele said.
People confused Brazil with Argentina and the Amazon … they were all the same thing to people. Brazil became known to them because of the World Cup
The Uruguayans stunned the 200,000 spectators at the Maracana into silence back in 1950 when a late goal earned them a 2-1 win and that was enough on the old system for them to be crowned world champions and not Brazil, who went into the match just requiring a draw.
The match earned the nickname the "Maracanazo" on the back of it.
Pele, the record goalscorer for Brazil, said the importance of what soccer had done for Brazil's worldwide reputation could not be underestimated.