How many men have won the World Cup as player and manager?

The short answer is three. The first of them was Brazilian Mário Zagallo who, as a left-winger, won the Jules Rimet Trophy twice, in 1958 and 1962 and, as manager, won the trophy outright in 1970. Indeed, Zagallo played for one of the greatest Brazilian teams in history in 1958, participating in every game at the World Cup finals tournament and scoring the fourth goal in a 5-2 victory over the hosts, Sweden, at the Råsunda Stadium in Solna, Stockholm. In 1970, he managed the iconic, free-scoring team, featuring the likes of Pele, Jairzinho, Rivellino, that beat Italy 4-1 in the World Cup final at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Next of the trio was German Franz ‘Der Kaiser’ Beckenbauer who, as a sweeper, led West Germany to victory in the 1974 World Cup, defeating a Netherlands team captained by Johan Cruyff 2-1 on the final at Olympicadion, Munich. Having become the first captain to lift the new Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup Trophy, Beckenbauer did so again, as manager, in 1990. In the last World Cup staged before the reunification of Germany,

which came into effect on October 3, 1990, West Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Finally, Frenchman Didier Deschamps, in his capacity as a defensive midfielder, captained his country at the 1998 World Cup, played on home soil, led Les Blues to a 3-0 victory over Brazil in the final at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris. He was initially appointed manager, or head coach, of the French national team in 2012 but, after twice extending his original two-year contract, mastermined victory in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. France remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, eventually beating Croatia 4-2 in the the final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

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