Brazil went to Mexico in 1970 with Pelé, Tostão, Jairzinho, Rivelino and Gérson, and with Carlos Alberto as captain. Plenty of people still think no better team has ever been put together.
In the final at the Estadio Azteca they beat Italy 4-1. Then came the moment this entry is about: Carlos Alberto holding the Jules Rimet trophy above his head while his teammates celebrated around him.
It was Brazil's third World Cup. Under the rules of the time, a third title meant they could keep the original Jules Rimet trophy permanently.
Why does Carlos Alberto's trophy lift rank at number 22?
Partly for the team behind it. Carlos Alberto Torres captained a side widely considered the greatest of all time, and the attacking line of Pelé, Tostão, Jairzinho, Rivelino, Gérson and Carlos Alberto himself was something close to perfect. Pelé was at his peak. The players around him would have been stars in any other team.
Partly for the photograph. The picture of Carlos Alberto raising the golden trophy became a symbol of Brazilian football, and it still is. It captures the moment the most admired team in the game's history reached the top, and it shows them doing it in style.
The other finals of that era are remembered for the matches. This one is remembered for a captain, a trophy, and the knowledge that nobody else would ever lift that particular cup again.
Tomorrow: number 21.
