R.I.P. Beckenbauer, Zagallo and JPR
THREE former sports stars have recently died… football legends Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer and rugby star J.P.R. Williams.
Zagallo was 92 when he passed away. Part of Brazil’s World Cup winning teams of 1958 and 1962, he went on to guide his country to World Cup glory as head coach in 1970 with a team regarded as the greatest of all time - Pelé, Jairzinho, Rivellino, Roberto, Edu and Alberto were the main stars. He was also assistant coach in 1994 and then Brazil’s manager when they lost the 1998 final to France. Zagallo was, in fact, the first footballer to win the World Cup as a player and manager - a feat later achieved by France's Didier Deschamps and Beckenbauer.
German international ‘Kaiser’ Beckenbauer left us at the age of 78. He played in midfield for Bayern Munich, SV Hamburg and New York Cosmos between 1964 and 1983, scoring 115 goals in 862 club and international appearances, winning five Bundesliga titles, three NFL prizes and the World Cup, which he also did as a manager. He also guided Marseilles and Bayern to glory in the French League and Bundesliga respectively, and collected no less than 24 winners’ medals as a player and manager/head coach.
Rugby star JPR Williams passed away last Monday, age 73. The recipient of 55 Welsh caps and eight as a British and Ireland Lions player, he represented his country during its ‘golden era’ in the 1970s and became known universally as just as JPR. Playing as a full back, he was noted for his aggressive attacking style, his long sideburns and socks around his ankles. He was an iconic figure in the Welsh team, being one of a small group of players to have won three Grand Slams with his country, the others included Gerald Davies, Gareth Edwards, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones. An orthopaedic surgeon by profession, JPR continued to be involved in rugby following his retirement, serving as president of the Bridgend Ravens