In the garage under the condominium where Zico’s family lives in Rio de Janeiro, there’s a 40-year-old Toyota, which he takes out on the odd occasion he’s in town and fancies a nostalgic spin.
The car, to be more precise, is a 1981, 2.4-litre, 16-valve, 96-cv Toyota Celica, silver in colour, and, four decades on, a little bit old-fashioned looking; boxy with those square headlights that were fashionable at the time.
For most, it may seem an odd choice of vehicle for a man who’s not short of a bob or two. Yet for Zico, it is a prized possession, one of the most important material things he has. He maintains it, loves it, and makes sure it’s always clean and polished.
Not because he’s any great lover of 1980s Japanese automobiles, though.
Zico keeps and cherishes the car because of what it represents. That Toyota is the physical embodiment of the December day in Tokyo in 1981 that turned him from one of the greatest players in his club’s history into an immortal, untouchable idol in the eyes of the fans of his beloved Flamengo.
The post A forensic analysis of Zico’s brilliance v Liverpool in the 1981 ‘Mundial’ appeared first on Football365.com.