82's Brazil , Dutch of '74, Hungary of '54 unlucky sides: Zico

Panaji: For football-crazy Kolkatans, the first brush of live top-flight action was back in 1982 with the advent of colour TV sets, they saw all those men clad in 'Canary Yellow' do all sorts of tricks.

If Indians and especially Kolkatans became the biggest fans of Brazilian football, blame it on Spain 1982 and the likes of Socrates, Junior, Falcao's mesmerising skills is still a part of folklore.

But if someone stood out was Arthur Antunes Coimbra or Zico, who also left his fans teary-eyed with famous missed penalty kick against France in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final in the Mexico edition.

The 1982 Brazilian team is considered by pundits as the best ever national football team not to have won the Fifa World Cup and even Zico agrees.

"The 1982 side was the best. Although we could not win the World Cup but historically, it was the best team at that time," Zico, who will coach FC Goa in the ISL, said.

Asked which were the other quality sides that could have won the World Cup, Zico termed Ferenc Puskas's Hungary side of 1954 and Johan Cruyff's Dutch side of 1974 as the two top quality sides that lost their respective summit clashes.

"For example, Hungary in 1954, Holland in 1974 and Brazil in 1982 had the best sides but have never won the World Cup, but historically they are remembered as three best sides to have played the World Cup," Zico observed.

According to Zico, the best ever national side that has ever played in World Cup is the Brazil side of 1970 that won the Jules Rimet trophy.

"Everytime that team of 1970 played, it was like beautiful. The way they used to get together at the end of the match, it looked like a carnival. ou enjoyed watching them play," said Zico.