In the world of sports, there have been quite a few losses to mourn in 2024, particularly in cricket. We remember and celebrate some of the major names that were lost from the world of sports in 2024. Hera are some of the prominent names.
Mário Zagallo: January 5; Aged: 92
Mario Zagallo was the first, and one of just three people to have won the men’s football World Cup both as a player and a coach. He was one of the most charismatic personalities in Brazilian football, he was also known for his fondness of the No. 13 and constant use of the phrase “You will have to put up with me” — voiced loudly at critics. He stated 13 was his lucky number because it carries the last two digits of his birth year: 1931.
Franz Beckenbauer: January 7; Aged: 78
Franz Beckenbauer was widely known as the greatest defender of all time and the person who invented the libero role in defensive midfield, Franz Beckenbauer’s death led to a wave of tributes from almost all walks of life. Nicknamed Der Kaiser, or “The Emperor”, Beckenbauer was the second man following Zagallo to have won the FIFA World Cup as a player and as manager, with the third of those being France’s Dider Deschamps. Beckenbauer was captain of the West Germany team that won the World Cup in 1974 and he led them to the title as a manager once again in 1990. He also won the European Championship with West Germany in 1972.
DK Gaekwad: February 13; Aged: 95
At the time of his death, Dattajirao Gaekwad was the oldest living Indian cricketer. Between 1952 and 1961, he played 11 Tests for India and was captain of the national team in 1959 when it toured England. India lost all five Tests and fared badly even in the first class games, although Gaekwad himself batted scoring 1174 runs (34.52) on the tour. In 1952, the right-hander made his debut against England and his final international game was against Pakistan in Chennai in 1961
Mike Procter: February 17; Aged: 77
Mike Procter was South Africa’s first coach on their return to international cricket following the fall of apartheid and an all-rounder par excellence that the world saw of due to the country’s isolation. Procter played just seven Tests between 1967 and 1970 and would’ve joined the era of great all-rounders alongwith Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan and Richard Hadley had it not been for South Africa’s isolation.
Derek Underwood: April 15; Aged: 78
The greatest spinner England has ever produced, between 1969 and 1973 Underwood remained the world’s number one bowler for nearly four years. Sunil Gavaskar hailed Underwood as one of the toughest bowlers he ever faced. Between 1966 and 1982 Underwood bagged 297 wickets in 86 Test matches. The spin-bowling icon dedicated his entire first-class career to Kent.
Anshuman Gaekwad: July 31; Aged: 71
Just about six months following his father Datta Gaekwad died, Anshuman Gaekwad, passed away as well. From 1975 to 1987, Gaekwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs. He scored 1985 runs in Tests; his highest score in the format was 201, which came against Pakistan in a marathon 11-hour innings. Gaekwad was known for his grit with the bat. Apart from the marathon double century against Pakistan, Gaekwad was also known for standing up to West Indies’ tyranny during the controversial 1977 Jamaica Test. Gaekwad scored a valiant 81 in that match where captain Bishan Singh Bedi had to declare early just to protect the health of his teammates.
Graham Thorpe: August 4; Aged: 55
Graham Thorpe’s death sent a few shockwaves around the world of cricket and opened up talks on mental health in the game. The former batter died of suicide at the age of 55 on August 4. Thorpe scored 6744 runs in 100 Tests at an average of 44.66 with 16 centuries and 39 half-centuries between July 1993 and June 2005. He also played 82 ODIs, scoring 2380 runs at an average of 37.18 with 21 half-centuries
Sven-Göran Eriksson: August 26; Aged: 76
Swedish football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is best known for his time as the manager of England men’s football team between 2002 and 2006. Eriksson had told public broadcaster Sveriges Radio that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer and that his doctor’s assessment was that he had “at best maybe a year (to live), at worst a little less”. “We have known about this but it happened very quickly. We were not prepared for it to happen today,” Gustavsson told AFP.
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