Andrew Downie’s latest book, ‘The Greatest Show on Earth: The Inside Story of the Legendary 1970 World Cup’ shines a light on the magic of an unforgettable tournament - the cultural significance of which we are still learning about today.

“There is no time left on the clock up here now. Brazilian fans are waving their flags. Photographers tearing down to get pictures of the final celebrations. The band ready to march on… Now the crowd has just got into complete pandemonium. Referee Rudi Glöckner will have to get well on top of this now… There are hundreds of photographers down there, spectators and there are people being chased all over the field. There are players on the park, there are spectators on the park, there are now police on the park, everybody’s on the park. The game is over. Brazil have won it. Pelé is being mobbed.”

British TV commentary of the final whistle scene. Excerpt from The Greatest Show on Earth. 

Having previously authored the definitive guide to one of our own footballing icons, Doctor Sócrates (our review of which you can read here), Andrew Downie is something of an expert in capturing the size and impact of great cultural moments and figures. His latest book: ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ brings together both disparate and collective memories, channelling them in reminiscence of a truly great 20th century event.  

The book is an artful patchwork composed of first-hand interviews, archival scripts, extracts from biographies and autobiographies of players and staff - weaved together with interludes and reflections from Downie himself. There’s even a foreword by the moustachioed maestro Roberto Rivellino.

It digs as deep as you could imagine, covering everything from fly-on-the-wall training camp tales to first-hand perspectives on the biggest goals and most memorable games. The book will baffle and amuse all in the same moment. One minute you’re reading about how the Bulgarian’s comically prepared for the Mexican altitude by training in snowy ice-capped mountains; the next you’re chuckling at various accounts of Bobby Moore’s bizarre arrest at a jeweller in Bogotá; the next, a breakdown of Brazil coach Zagallo’s pivotal shift from a 4-2-4 to a 4-3-3. The breadth of coverage is a testament to Downie’s intense research.

To explore the book’s significance and his aims even further, we spoke to Andrew on the writing process, the nostalgia of World Cups, and on football and society in modern Brazil. 

The book is meticulously well-researched and beautifully crafted. How did you go about the research process?

AD: It certainly wasn’t what I expected. I had the fantasy of travelling around the world to interview legends. But I quickly realised that very few of the players from 1970 are still alive, with good memories, and prepared to talk for free. So I got a lot of stuff from research; autobiographies, magazine and newspaper interviews, videos and archives. And there was also a major language barrier. I speak Portuguese and Spanish but still, that still leaves a lot of other countries. So although I managed to personally interview players from five different countries, I had to rely on global help. I hired sports reporters in several different countries to interview a player or two. That was vital, as it gave the book a lot more depth and breadth. I didn’t want it to be just about the top nations such as Brazil and Italy and England.

It reads almost like watching a documentary - with testimony and anecdotes from central figures adding to the narrative/plot. What inspired this format? Were you led by the research or did you have a clear vision in mind?

AD: The publisher came to me with the format. They had done other oral history books that were a success and so they wanted to continue in the same vein. In many ways, it made the process easier. I could put all my energies into the research and the interviews as there wasn’t such a pressing need to focus on the writing.

Of the players interviewed for the book, who surprised you the most? 

AD: I enjoyed hearing from the lesser players. Israeli striker Mordechai Spiegler was a surprise to me. I never knew he impressed enough in this World Cup to win a transfer to France and from Paris Saint Germain he eventually won a transfer to the New York Cosmos where he played alongside Pelé! Francis Lee was a real gentleman in England. Ado, Brazil’s second goalkeeper, was as well. 

“How many should we have beaten Brazil by? We should have beaten them by 4-3 or 4-2. I’d have loved to play against them on a chilly night in Manchester. Or at a nippy night in Wembley. Then we might have seen some real action.”

Francis Lee on England’s missed opportunities in that game against Brazil. Excerpt from The Greatest Show on Earth.

One thing that is captured expertly is how this World Cup sits on the edge: perched at the end of one era and at the beginning of another. Decades-old footballing maxims were being turned on their head; broad tactical knowledge was changing all the time; a higher value was placed on having a physically fit team, acclimatised to the conditions; versatility of personnel and shape was a massive asset. The era ushered in changes in a non-footballing sense, too. The great Pelé - heading towards the twilight of his career - had shown that superstar sportspeople could be global brands, as well as athletes; globalisation and air travel was slowly bringing distant parts of the world closer together; the spill-out of the cold war drove many others further apart, and the post-war period of peace and progress had started to show cracks. And yet, here falls this World Cup: perfectly poised to celebrate newfound global connectivity on the grandest stage of all. Downie’s desire to capture this unique moment and immortalise it, in this form, is evident throughout. 

You highlight in the prologue the time that has passed since these events, as well as the age of some of your interviewees. Was there an element of preserving the memory and history of this World Cup? 

AD: For sure, that’s part of it. The Mexico World Cup is so fondly remembered and it was a great experience going deeper into it. We know so much about certain aspects of the tournament – the England v Brazil game, Pele and Brazil, the Game of the Century – but it turns out there was a lot more interesting stuff going on and it was a thrill finding out and sharing.

Why has nostalgia for World Cups and competitions gone by intensified? Is there room for romance in modern football? Is nostalgia a rejection of modern, sterile football?

AD: I think it’s exactly that, a rejection of the overly commercial game that we have today. I also think it has a lot to do with access. It’s almost impossible to get interviews with players today unless you are a broadcaster with rights. And the broadcasters are not there to ask hard questions, they’re there to promote the upcoming games. The players, moreover, are media trained and so say very little. The 1970s were a more open and innocent time. 

What are your personal connections to this World Cup? 

AD: I have none, I was too young! But I think it’s indicative of how iconic the 1970 World Cup was that I – and many others – recognise its importance even though we were too young to remember it.

Can you give us a glimpse of your next project? Might you conduct the same for another World Cup, 1986 stands out as another memorable one? Or is 1970 simply too unique? 

AD: You could in theory do an oral history of every tournament. But the more recent ones are harder to do in a way because although the players are still alive and can probably remember more, they are also more likely to be rich and famous. And it’s much harder to get an interview with someone who is rich and famous.

“The conflict in the Middle East was ongoing, parts of Latin America were simmering, and Israel’s presence was an additional factor… There was tension in the air.” 

Excerpt from The Greatest Show on Earth. 

Another thing that is never ignored is the political and social context of the era. Be it the Salvadoran-Honduran Soccer War or the Six-Day war in the Middle East, the footballing events are never retold in a vacuum - particularly with regards to preparations for the tournament. With this in mind, and as someone that has lived in Sao Paulo for almost two decades, we couldn’t help but ask about the turbulence of Brazilian politics and the role that the Selecao team plays in its national identity.

1970 is seen as the high-water mark for Brazilian - indeed national team football. It's also the high-water mark for dictatorial oppression in Brazil and this delicate conflict exists in the memory of that time. Does what Brazil is going through today, in terms of visceral political tension, on the streets, bear any resemblance to that of 1970? 

AD: Yes and no. Brazil has a lunatic right-wing president in power who has overseen the death of almost 600,000 people. The main difference is that in 1970 the dictatorship was torturing and killing opponents. The repression and restrictions back then were much more evident.  

There is a pivotal election in Brazil next year, perhaps the most important and divisive in decades. Is a good World Cup the only thing that can bring the entire country together?

AD: It can do that, for brief moments, yes. But the opposite is also true. Bolsonaro and the far-right have commandeered the Brazil jersey and flag as their symbols and that has turned off many fans. Some will no longer wear the Brazil shirt for fear of being confused with a Bolsonaro supporter. A lot of people are also angry at the players. Many of them eagerly had their picture taken with Bolsonaro when they won the Copa America in 2019 and some have backed him on social media. Their failure to criticise him for bringing the Copa America to Brazil in June in the midst of the pandemic also infuriated millions.

‘The Greatest Show on Earth: The Inside Story of the Legendary 1970 World Cup’ is out now, and you can find it online or at your local bookshop. A Portuguese version will be released next year. You can follow Andrew on Twitter - @adowniebrazil, or visit his website.