Whatever the sport, this lot changed the game. One major part of the celebration of every competition is raising the trophy above the head which has become a ritual in most sports, especially football.
From the UEFA champions league, Euros, Afcon, and Formula 1 to other famous sporting competitions. This tradition of raising the trophy is an iconic and significant part of the celebration.
Lionel Messi recently joined the league of captains who have done this iconic posture with the World cup.
This posture started with Brazil captain Hilderaldo Luiz Bellini at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
He was the first player to start the tradition of lifting a trophy above your head – a gesture thought to be a tad extravagant back then.
When Brazil won their first World Cup in 1958, the 17-year-old football sensation Pele dominated the headlines. However, the image of Hilderaldo Bellini, the Selecao captain, hoisting the Jules Rimet Trophy remains the most memorable moment of the tournament in Sweden.
Bellini was a tall, lean central defender who focused on winning the ball quickly and effectively before passing it to his more extravagantly talented teammates, sure that they could outshine any foe with their showy flair.
His height was not enough for short photographers to get a perfect shot of the trophy. As the photographers were competing for the best shot during the celebration. Some were said to have shouted ‘Lift it higher,’ resulting in the iconic photograph that has since been repeated every year in a slew of sporting triumphs.
It was the first time the coveted golden bauble had been brandished quite so flamboyantly – the result of photographer requests for a “clean” picture rather than undue triumphalism from the dignified Bellini – and it became a seminal moment in the nation’s sporting history, immortalized forever as a statue at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium.
Great athletes have done this iconic celebration during their trophy celebration. Cannavaro, Maldini, Gerrard, John Terry and many others have simulated this posture during their trophy celebration. And most recently, Lionel Messi, following the World Cup success with the Albiceleste
Unfortunately, the great Bellini died quietly in 2014 at 83 from heart attack complications. But his legacy has come to stay.
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