Animode

Mario Americo may not appear on any list of FIFA World Cup™ greats. He may not be associated with the skilful, free-flowing football that his native Brazil has come to be known for. And he may not be revered around the world like so many of his countrymen. But for the legendary A Seleção team that won three World Cups in 12 years, the impact he made cannot be underestimated.

The history of the FIFA World Cup is decorated with the names of unforgettable stars, famous referees, mastermind coaches, unbeatable goalkeepers and assertive leaders. But football is a team game and the other characters - hidden away from the public eye and the flashing cameras - played and continue to play a huge part in the world’s biggest football competition.

Americo, who died in 1990 aged 77, was the masseur for the Brazilian national team during the team’s most successful period. He started his career when the team was still wearing white – something which changed after they spectacularly lost the world title in 1950 in an infamous incident known as the Maracanazo (Maracana Blow). To say the defeat was felt around the country is an understatement.

“We spent a lot of time in isolation, four months between the cities of Araxa and Rio de Janeiro. This proved to be in vain because journalists and politicians broke our concentration and we were hounded by fans,” explained Americo. In addition, prior to the final, “lots of relatives and various players were looking at the list of businesses and industries that would pay them a bonus for winning, which never came about”.

Americo’s work as the national team masseur took him to the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland. Eager to scout the competition, he went to see what the Hungarians – who were the tournament’s favourites – were doing in training before their matches. He saw that the Europeans were doing gymnastic exercises in the changing rooms before heading out onto the pitch. He rushed back to tell coach Zeze Moreira and, from then on, the Brazilians took up the practice of alongamento - or stretching before playing.

At the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, his reputation as something of a natural leader preceded him and he had become more than just the physiotherapist: he had become part of the team. Vicente Feola, the coach that won Brazil’s first World Cup, nicknamed him pombo-correio (carrier pigeon) due to his leather pouch, which is on display in theFIFA World Football Museum.

Americo would enter the pitch first and foremost to attend to injured players, but he would also do other things too. Feola, from the bench, would gesture to a player on the field, who would go to ground as though suffering from an injury. He would send on Americo, who would use his pouch to pretend that he was helping the player when in fact he was actually passing on tactical orders. Although this story was originally deemed a myth, it has since been backed up by Brazilian 1958 world champion Jose Altafini when he visited the museum.

But his role within the team was not limited to healing and passing on tactical messages - in fact, his toughest job for the team had nothing to do with either. After the final of the 1958 tournament, Feola asked him to get his hands on the match ball – the one that Brazil had just won their first world title with. Diligent and loyal as he was, Americo ran on to the pitch as soon as the match was over. After snatching the ball from French referee Maurice Guigue, he ran for the changing room.

Security staff chased him but Americo was too fast and he was able to reach the changing room with just enough time to stash away the match ball, grab a replacement and return to the pitch before asking for forgiveness for the brincadeira (trick). Throughout the entire incident, he had his medical pouch wrapped around his waist.

In 1962 and in 1970 he enjoyed central roles within the team. In the Brazil teams that are still hailed as the “greatest of all time”, Americo was a constant and welcome presence. But all good things come to an end and after the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany, he went into politics. Two years later, in 1976, he was elected as a city councillor in Sao Paulo, where he was in charge of attending to athletes and members of the public at the Physiotherapy Institute in the north of the city.

Such was the distinguished career of a man who took part in seven FIFA World Cups. A man who could be seen running lightning-fast with his pouch onto the pitch to treat his players, and perhaps to carry out other orders too.

For the Iranian faithful, it has been quite some years since Team Melli has enjoyed the services of a truly reliable goal-getter following the retirement of international leading scorer Ali Daei. It is a fact borne out by Iran's performances during Asia's qualifying final round for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, with Carlos Queiroz's side progressing as the lowest scorers among the continent's qualified quartet, with just eight goals from as many games. Their campaign at Brazil 2014 proved disappointing in that sense, too, with just one goal scored.

Now though, with the meteoric rise of Sardar Azmoun, the void left by the world's international goal-king is seemingly set to be filled. Seven goals from five matches is the impressive goal-scoring rate as the Rostov forward, who turned 21 in January, finished Asia's second qualifying round for Russia 2018 as the team's top-scorer. Notably, Azmoun completed his first international brace in their 6-0 rout of Guam, before striking twice as his side beat Oman 2-0 in the group concluder to progress.

Azmoun's free-scoring form has seen him hailed as a goal-king in the making. But while fans are hoping he will assume Daei's mantle, the lanky forward opted to downplay growing expectations.

"I will try (to be a great striker like Daei)," he told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview. "But honestly speaking, I don't want to be occupied with goals like this. What I want is to help Iran and I am proud of scoring goals for my team. I am still young and I should concentrate on improving my skills."

Queiroz trust 
Just a year back, few knew who Azmoun was when he became a surprise inclusion in Queiroz's 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad. Of course, those following Iran's game closely are aware what he is capable of after his exploits with Rubin Kazan, the Russian side he joined as a teenager in 2013. He was on target eight times across 32 appearances for Kazan in all competitions, including breaking his duck by scoring in a 3-0 UEFA Europa League win against Molde.

"The coach (Queiroz) gave me the call-up (to the last Asian Cup team)," he recalled. "He placed plenty of trust in me. But for me, it was no surprise. I had anticipated that he would call me up and he did."

It did not take Azmoun long to prove Queiroz right on the continental stage. After playing briefly as a substitute in Iran's opening win against Bahrain, he was handed a surprise start against Qatar. Azmoun did not let the chance slip, repaying the coach's faith by scoring the match-winning goal. He went on to open the scoring in the quarter-final clash against Iraq as the two sides were locked at 3-3 after regular and additional periods, only to see the opponents prevail with a penalty shoot-out victory. Despite the loss, Azmoun emerged as one of the tournament's biggest revelations, alongside the likes of Massimo Luongo and Omar Abdulrahman.

"I was enormously happy to play for the national team in such an important tournament," he continued, reflecting on his first major competition representing Iran. "For me, it was just like a dream come true. It provided me with confidence as well as motivation."

Messi or Ibrahimovic
Azmoun's club form has been similarly impressive. Since moving to play for Rostov on loan at the start of last year, he has dazzled spectators through his forward forays and goals. His fine displays have seen him among the most sought-after Asian youth stars, with rumours that he has attracted interest by the likes of Everton, Stoke City and even Barcelona. His growing popularity is such that he has been dubbed as "Iranian Messi" by fans and media alike.

Azmoun, though, thinks differently. "Zlatan Ibrahimovic is my idol player," he stated. “And Real Madrid is my favourite club.”

With an athletic 182cm frame, Azmoun boasts exceptional aerial ability, consummate control of the ball and is known for his bursts of acceleration, creativity and adept finishing. "Azmoun has all the qualities to be a top-class striker," remarked his former Rubin Kazan manager Rinat Bilyaletdinov.

With so many promises to live up to, Azmoun is all too aware what tasks are facing him. “Every player wants to show his best with the national team and I am no exception,” he said. “My chief goal is to help Iran (to the World Cup) and make our supporters happy. In order to achieve this, I must keep in mind that I have a lot of hard work ahead of me.”