O Jogo Bonito!

O Jogo Bonito! is the magical story of Brazil at the 1970 World Cup, and a team that featured the incomparable skills of Pelé, Rivellino, Gérson, Jairzinho and Tostão.

The 1970 World Cup was the first tournament televised live and in colour. It was also the occasion when the Brazilian Seleção Canarinho declared themselves to be the best team ever to lift the Jules Rimet trophy - bringing their own life and colour to the tournament. Yellow shirts as bright as the Mexican sun, blue shorts as vivid as the bright sky, and dancing feet, beating out a hypnotising rhythm that rendered opponents flat-footed by comparison.

Their third success in four tournaments meant that the 12-inch-high trophy would for evermore be the property of Brazil. It was a more than fitting accolade. All teams crowned as world champions before and since, are measured against, and fall short of, the bewitching beauty of that team. It was Brazil's football in that World Cup that truly defined the phrase the beautiful game ('o jogo bonito').

"Thacker’s book provides plenty of new insights and makes use of many important sources to re-examine arguably the greatest World Cup won by the greatest team."

Gary Thacker is an established author and journalist who writes for numerous magazines and websites. His work has featured in The Guardian, Sports Network and the Spanish press. He was shortlisted for 'Blogger of the Year' by the FSF in 2017, and has guested on BBC and talkSPORT radio. A member of These Football Times' senior leadership team, he also appears regularly on podcasts for the platform. This is his eighth book.

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