2010 World Cup Countdown: Brazil's 10 Greatest Performances Ever (Part I)

When it comes to football, Brazil truly is the home of the world's greatest sport.

From Pele to Ronaldo, Garrincha to Ronaldinho, and from Zico to Kaka, this glorified South American nation has provided some of the best talent the world has ever seen.

A colossal five World Cup titles is a glowing testament to that, as Brazil is a footballing nation with a national team that has stunned audiences on the international stage for decades.

With former playing legend Dunga at the coaching helm, the samba soccer nation will be going all out for a further record-breaking sixth World Cup success in South Africa, and it would be hard not to back them, considering this is a team who is a favourite to win in every tournament it enters.

In any case, as the cliché saying goes about football, "England invented it, Brazil perfected it."

And so, here in this article are the first five of the ten greatest Brazilian performances of all-time, containing technical, tactical, and just mind-blowingly spectacular perfection.

1958: Brazil Finally Arrives After USSR Triumph

Following lacklustre showings at all previous World Cups, the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden represented something of a change.

Coach Vicente Feola imposed strict rules on his team. The players were given a list of forty things that they were not allowed to do, including wearing hats or umbrellas, smoking while wearing official clothing, and talking to the press outside of allocated times.

They were the only team to bring a psychologist (because the memories of the 1950 World Cup still affected some players) or a dentist (for, because of their humble origins, many players had dental problems, which caused infections and also had negative impact on performance) with them, and had sent a representative to Europe to watch the qualifying matches a year before the tournament began.

Being drawn in the toughest group (with England, Austria and the USSR), Brazil's new regime was going to be thoroughly tested.

But the regime worked wonders, as the Selecao beat Austria 3-0 and drew 0-0 with England before playing against the mighty USSR, where they would really be tested.

The Brazilians had been worried about their match with the USSR who had exceptional fitness and were one of the favourites to win the tournament; their strategy was to take risks at the beginning of the match to try and score an early goal.

In the end, the strategy paid off as Garrincha dominated the show, beating three players before hitting the post with a shot straight from kick-off.

Brazil kept up the pressure relentlessly, and after three minutes which were later described as "the greatest three minutes in the history of football", Vavá gave Brazil the lead before claiming a surprise 2-0 victory.

At the top of their group, Brazil had finally "arrived" at a World Cup tournament, and gave the first sign of things to come.

Brazil Beat Hosts to Claim First World Cup

After a successful, scintillating World Cup campaign by Brazil, a first ever international success and the chance to achieve historic glory was within touching.

All they had to do to enter the annals of football history was defeat hosts Sweden in the final of the 1958 tournament; it was a task easier said than done.

After all, the Swedes had beaten the USSR in the quarter-finals and the powerful Germany in the semi-finals.

Also, the Swedish coach believed that, if his team scored the first goal, the Brazilians would again feel the pressure, and it would be easier for Sweden to take advantage of counter-attacks.

It was a point that could've well been vindicated, especially considering Nils Liedholm put the hosts 1-0 up after only two minutes of the match played.

But that wasn't something which would concern the likes of Didi, Garrincha, and the rest of the team.

Straight from that resulting kick-off, wing wizard Garrincha skipped past multiple defenders before firing a thunderous shot against the woodwork.

It was an effort that shook the Swedish defence, and eventually made them crack as Brazil went into the half-time interval 2-1 up, with both goals coming from Vavá.

In the second-half, Brazil continued in the same way as they did in the first-half, by dominating play and scoring goals.

Mario Zagallo found the net for the Brazilians, before the King of Football himself, Pele, truly marked his presence on the international stage with a brilliantly taken goal to put his side 4-2 up after Agne Simonsson scored for the Swedes.

And to round off a sensational display for Brazil, Pele introduced himself fully as football's King by hitting the final nail in the coffin for Sweden to give his team a stunning 5-2 win to give his nation their first ever World Cup title.

It was the defining moment in world football that marked the beginning of Brazil's golden era.

1962: Brazil Means Business

Give or take a few players, four years after Sweden and the Samba Kings effectively remained unchanged, with the same players, tactics, and regime that stunned the world in 1958.

In the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, Brazil again showed they meant business, despite losing star-striker Pele to injury in just the opening group game against Mexico (in which Pele scored the second goal).

Wins against Spain, England, and Chile showed the world that the Selecao really were going all out for the win, as Garrincha stole the Pele spotlight with a set of spectacular showings that culminated in him winning the Golden Boot award.

But it was the final itself that truly marked Brazil's rapid rise to world football domination, as the Canarinho (Little Canary, Brazil's other nickname) beat Czechoslovakia 3-1.

Such was the power of Garrincha, he was marked by the Czechs as tightly as Lionel Messi is today in that 1962 World Cup final.

Of course, this allowed space for Brazil's forgotten hero (to non-Brazilians) Amarildo to shine, as he equalised for Brazil after the Czechs went 1-0 up on 15 minutes.

Mario Zagallo and superstar Vavá then put Brazil 3-1 ahead in the second-half, and Czechoslovakia's fate was sealed.

Garrincha was so good in that tournament, and that match, that all he had to do was provide the crosses, as the rigorous man-makring of this creative genius allowed the likes of Amarildo enough time and space to steal the global spotlight.

1970: The Little Canary Beats the Champions

Brazil is sometimes referred to as the Little Canary, and "little" is exactly what the Brazilians were at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, where the then reigning champions had arguably "their worst performance ever".

But in Mexico in 1970, things were about to change, and with the likes of Tostao, Jairzinho, Carlos Alberto, Gérson, and Rivelino alongside Pele in his last ever World Cup finals, this was a Selecao apparently considered the greatest ever in football.

One of their greatest ever matches came in the second group game against current champions England.

Before this match, Brazil had beaten World Cup final rivals of old, Czechoslovakia, 4-2, with Pele and Jairzinho feeling in fine goalscoring mood.

And against England, some of the greatest ever actions on a football field took place at the Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara.

First, Jairzinho combined excellently with Pele before the latter headed an expertly exquisite effort directly for the back of the net.

An absolutely sensational goal it would have been, had England goalkeeper Gordon Banks not defied the laws of movement by flying across his goal line before gently clawing the ball away from the dangers of the net.

It was a moment of excellent all-around play, culminating in what many consider to be the "save of the century" from Banks.

However, such heroics wouldn't last, as the second-half saw Brazil symbolically rise from the English ashes of 1966 and claim a smashing victory.

Tostao ghosted past three England players before playing a ball through to Pele without even looking; it was the start of a classy move that is now the dream trick of all up and coming superstar footballers.

Although, this extra-sensorial perception wasn't just limited to Tostao, Pele had a go at it too! The striker rolled the ball to Jairzinho, who latched onto it with a thunder-bolt strike to give the Selecao a 1-0 win.

The scoreline may have been low, but the quality of play wasn't, as Brazil delivered a world-beating performance to truly show the world that once again, the Brazilian boys were back in town.

Brazil Claim Third World Cup Title

Brazil headed into the final of the 1970 FIFA World Cup final in stunning form, having beaten current champions England, and didn't lose a single game after victories against Czechoslovakia, Romania, Peru, and Uruguay.

However, their opponent Italy was also at the peak of their game, and had beaten hosts Mexico before dispatching of an incredibly efficient Germany side in the semifinals; it was a game that some say was the most beautiful football match in World Cup history.

In the Final at the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which was watched by over 110,000 inside the ground, Brazil eventually triumphed 4-1.

Pele opened the scoring for Brazil after 18 minutes following a Rivelino cross. After the match, the Italian marking Pele said he couldn't understand how someone as small as Pele could leap so high and stay afloat in the air for so long.

Things were going well for the Selecao, until Italy drew level later in the first-half, after midfielder Clodoaldo decided to play tiddlywinks and try an unnecessary dribble. Following the match, Mario Zagallo went on record to say that he felt like punching Clodoaldo for that mistake, as "he was playing a World Cup final like a friendly match in high school".

Nevertheless, Brazil continued to dominate, and goals from Gerson, Jairzinho, and captain Carlos Alberto rounded off the scoring in a match that saw the end of the Selecao golden era.

King Pele would retire shortly after, and Brazil wouldn't be the same for decades later.