Alcides Ghiggia broke the hearts of countless Brazilian soccer fans in the 1950 World Cup Final, scoring the winning goal for Uruguay against a heavily-favored Brazil squad in front of nearly 200,000 fans squeezed into Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium. Ghiggia, a diminutive yet graceful winger, assisted on Uruguay’s first goal from Juan Alberto Schiaffino, before deceiving Brazil’s beleaguered ‘keeper Moacir Barbosa on a low shot in the 79th minute. Ghiggia’s strike is known today as the “Maracanazo”, with Ghiggia frequently saying “only three people managed to silence the Maracanã: Frank Sinatra, the Pope, and me”.

Offered in this lot is a photograph album containing 62 photographs relating to the Uruguayan soccer team of the 1950 World Cup era. This album originates from the Ghiggia estate, and the front cover shows an image of the Maracanã in front of the Rio de Janeiro landscape. These photographs are widely varied, and include pictures of Uruguay on the pitch, traveling, in locker rooms, and more. Each page is protected by a thin, nearly-opaque film decorated with spiders and spiderwebs. This photograph album is in good condition. This item comes with a LOA confirming it is part of the Rony Almeida Soccer Collection.

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