The eternal torture of Moacyr Barbosa

Moacyr Barbosa was one of the best goalkeepers of his time and arguably, one of the best goalkeepers in the beautiful game's history. He spent his entire career between the sticks of Vasco de Gama and has a lengthy list of honours that was achieved with the club. But the 16th of July turned his life upside down. The venue was the football stadium "Jornalista Mario Filho" in Rio de Janeiro, better known as Maracaná, occupied by 200,000 expectant souls to witness the final match between Brazil and Uruguay.

FIFA had decided that the winner of the World Cup would be the top team in a 4-sided mini-league contested by the four semi-finalists (Sweden, Spain, Uruguay and Brazil). Brazil, the favourites, had beaten Sweden and Spain by large margins. The Uruguayans, on the other hand, had drawn one and won one in tight encounters. Brazil faced Uruguay needing only a draw to lift the Jules Rimet Cup.

15:30.. kick-off. The Brazillian crowd had come prepared for a party. They came with carnival floats, fireworks to be let off, alcohol to savour, balloons to fill the air around. Newspaper frontpages screaming of joy were ready and the statesmen had their speeches prepared. A classic case of counting your chickens before they hatch?

Fast forward to 16:32.. the farmer is right, all the eggs appear to have hatched. It's the second half and Brazil are a goal up thanks to Albino Friaca. The whole of Brazil is euphoric. The Uruguayan captain Obdulio Varela had realized the need to take the pressure off his team and protested a non-existent off-side. The match resumed and the charrúas bombed forward in search of an equalizer led by an inspirational Varela. After some sensational play by Alcides Edgardo Ghiggia on the right, the Uruguayan equalizer came through Juan Schiaffino, better known as Pepe El Diablo(Pepe the Devil). The whole of Maracaná slumped into silence, but only for a short while. Not even The Devil could dampen their spirits. Was that one chicken dead?

Brazil 1950 team.

However, 13 minutes later, el charrúa Ghiggia again took action, he received the pass on the sideline from Julio Perez on the right and ran 40 metres past yellow shirts and in a replay of the first goal, he passed himself through inside the goal area. Barbosa, with the Schiffiano goal still on his mind hurried to cover the most possible space behind the 9 cariocas, the same as had happened 13 minutes ago, but in that moment Ghiggia, practically from what looked like an impossible angle for a goal scored a precise shot between the home defender Bigode, the goalpost and Barbosa. Two dead chickens.

Maracaná as well as the whole of Brazil almost suffocated in deathly silence, a silence so deep that when it happens, the you can hear buzzing in the ears, the sound of your heart beating slowing down and a feeling of vertigo and cold sweat on your body, a big lump in the throat preventing the air reaching the lungs. Then, the goose-bumps are getting all over the body, a sharp sensation strokes the back of the neck, the heart stops to pump the blood for a few seconds and starts to flow the jets of deception and everyone gets nostalgic for the better times...then, well, these seconds became 50 years long for Moacyr Barbosa, who was sentenced for life for trying to defend in the best possible way for his country.. a country that mocked him, put him into misery and recognized him as the only one guilty for the defeat against Uruguay, stealing forever his soul.