Paris (AFP)

Fifty years ago, modern football was born in Mexico, during a legendary World Cup won on June 21, 1970 by Pelé and Brazil, broadcast live and recorded in color.

Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the Brazil-Italy final of this 1970 edition, memorable in every way. Four years earlier, 400 million viewers had seen England beat West Germany live, in black and white. Brazil had been eliminated, in shades ranging from light gray to dark gray.

Four years later, under the Mexican sun, the yellow, blue and green shirts of the Seleçao were recorded in color, for posterity, even if the live broadcasts continued, for most football fans, on old black and white television sets.

For 50 years, images have passed and passed again. Even Pelé has trouble remembering: "There are a lot of videos available, programs that broadcast them. If I'm not careful, I start to cry," the former star striker told the website of the FIFA.

- Peeled at the top -

Pelé symbolizes this 1970 World Cup because it won its third star there. "I was at the top," he sums up. "We had a fantastic team and everyone expected us to win, I had goosebumps."

According to his attacking partner Tostao, Pelé "wanted to end his international career on an individual and collective triumph, so that no one could doubt that he was indeed the best player of all time".

All quarter-finals started at the same time on June 14 at noon. Italy beat Mexico 4-1, thanks to a double from Riva. Meanwhile, Rivelino, Tostao and Jaïrzinho - but not Pel - scored for Brazil against Peru (4-2). "There were four number 10 in this team," recalls Cubillas, one of the Peruvian goalscorers. "If we had scored four goals, they would have scored eight."

The defending English champions, deprived of Banks, had two goals in advance and then lost 3-2 in overtime, facing the FRG of Beckenbauer and Muller. In the semifinals, Uruguay opened the scoring at Guadalajara, then the Seleçao struck three times, by Clodoaldo, Jaïrzinho and Rivelino (3-1).

In Mexico City, Italy was going to win 1-0 when Schnellinger equalized in the 90th minute, causing 30 minutes of insane overtime: 2-1 for Germany, thanks to Müller, then 3-2 for Italy. (goals from Burgnich and Riva), then Müller again (3-3) and Riva finally (4-3).

"Everyone is still talking about it ..." -

It was not over. Italy could count in the final on Mazzola, very gifted, and on the defense of Inter Milan, great pioneer of the 'catenaccio' (padlock), led by Facchetti.

Brazil has made short work of it.

At 2,200 meters above sea level, in the sun of the Aztec Stadium, Brazil produced that day an unprecedented demonstration of attacking football (4-1), as a kind of absolute benchmark for the finals to come, for fifty years.

Pelé scored, of course, then Boninsegna equalized, before Gerson and Jaïrzinho widened the gap. "Before the match, I told myself that (Pelé) was made of bone and skin, like everyone else. I was wrong," said Burgnich.

It was as if Brazil was reinventing football, with a final goal in apotheosis, four minutes from the end, marked by central back Carlos Alberto, on a decisive pass from Pelé, after a collective movement involving eight Seleçao players.

Roberto Rivelino, one of the key players in this 1970 Seleçao, remembers: "We deserved to end like this, with this wonderful goal built by almost all of our team. God was generous with our selection", judge the old man (74 years old) in a short video sent to AFP.

For Rivelino, this Mondial-70 was "special, because of our total concentration, the quality of the matches, the world title". And also because this Seleçao is "still considered today as the best of all time". Able to offer the world a dream finale.

"I realize today how beautiful and important this goal was, because everyone is still talking about it," Carlos Alberto told the BBC, adding: "It may be the best goal ever in a World Cup ". It was perhaps the most beautiful World Cup in the history of football ...

© 2020 AFP