João Carvalhaes: how a World Cup-winner pioneered the use of psychology in football
Brazil's 1958 World Cup win announced the arrival of Pele - and football's first brush with sport psychology
Brazil's 1950 and 1954 World Cup campaigns had been torturous. In 1950 defeat in the final by Uruguay at the Maracanã, the spiritual home of Brazilian football, prompted mourning across the country.
The 1954 tournament, held in Switzerland, ended in ignominy as Brazil were reduced to nine men during an ugly 4-2 quarter-final loss to Hungary in a match ni…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Mind Room to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.