News Digest

Alcides Ghiggia, World Cup winner who broke the hearts of a nation, dies at 88

Alcides Ghiggia, the former Uruguay striker who scored the goal which won the 1950 World Cup against hosts Brazil, died Thursday – 65 years to the day after his famous strike in the Maracana Stadium that traumatized a nation. Ghiggia, who was 88, died from a heart attack, his wife Beatriz confirmed. He was the last surviving member of Uruguay’s 1950 World Cup-winning team. Speaking about his match-winning goal, Ghiggia once famously told Brazilian TV in an interview: “Only three men have ever silenced the Maracana – the Pope, Frank Sinatra, and me!”

I kept thinking about it but now I don’t feel the same emotion. I feel calmer and to be honest, don’t want to think about it too much. You can’t live on memories – it’s behind me.

Alcides Ghiggia

Born on December 1926, Ghiggia began his career with Uruguayan giants Penarol, before his 1950 stardom led to a move to Italian club AS Roma. He later joined AC Milan and also represented Italy, something made possible by his ancestry and eligibility regulations of the era. But it was his second-half goal in front of 200,000 spectators in Rio de Janeiro gave Uruguay a 2-1 victory which made him a national hero at the age of 23. Ghiggia, who retired at the age of 42, was also dismayed by the merciless vilification of Brazil’s goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa, who failed to stop his winning goal. He said: “Many people called me a hero but I wasn’t a hero, just as Barbosa was not responsible for the defeat. It was just 11 footballers against another 11, and I was lucky to score the goal. That’s it.”

My marker didn’t stop me, why didn’t they blame him? Barbosa died (in 2000) with the ingratitude of the Brazilian people.

Alcides Ghiggia