Gérson
Succeeding Didi, Gérson, as a midfield controller, was to lead his team to title prolongation at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. Together with newcomers Jairzinho and Tostão, Gérson formed a new trio of players who had to live up to the high expectations. In the first match, Brazil faced Bulgaria. Partly due to a goal from Pelé and Garrincha, the Divine Canaries won the game 2-0. In the second game against Hungary, Gérson came into action for the first time. Brazil struggled, despite the Age of Magic Magyars had ended ten years before, the team still had many talented football players, the Brazilians lost the match 3-1. The third group match had to be played against Eusébio's Portugal. Early in the game Pelé was out with an injury, his substitute, the just 19-year-old Tostão, was unable to break any pots and Brazil was beaten 3-1. As a result, the team did not even reach the second round and the tournament had turned out to be a big disappointment. The explanation for this probably lay in the fact that the selection was too old, of all the players who had also been present at the 1958 World Cup and 1962 World Cup, only Pelé at the age of 25 was really fit enough to participate.