The host of the 20th FIFA World Cup, Brazil, is still digesting the lost of their star player named Neymar in the middle of the tournament. It has always been triumph over adversity for the team and the history of their football careers showed it all. 

Five decades ago, it was a muscular problem that prolonged the agony of their iconic Pele. Only when Amarildo deputised for Mr. No.10 against Spain, all the buzz of him being irreplaceable met the finish line. 

Feeling 22 that time, the Botafogo forward scrubbed his shoulder off hoping to score a couple of times against the Spaniards and thrice in all as the Brazilians defended their spot. Remembering that, he will show the world that he will take the task of standing in for the great Neymar in Tuesday's semi-final match with Germany. 

"I wasn't nervous - anything but," a 75-year-old Amarildo told FIFA.com. "I looked on it as something normal, motivating even, because I wanted to show what I could do. Obviously I didn't want Pele to be injured, but I needed to prove something and I did that in a decisive game against Spain, where it was either us or them who went through.

"I was putting my career on the line, trying to prove myself in the eyes of the people of Brazil, because I had to be up to the situation. I didn't feel nervous, but I did feel it was my responsibility to play with heart and get the better of the opposition."

The current position of the hosting team right now is as hard as the position of their history embarked. Mostly when it was declared that the injured Pele would no longer be playing for the rest of the competition. But with Amarildo's presence and include the household names such as Didi, Mario Zagallo, Garrincha and Nilton Santos - the team found a great balance to still kick off. 

"Any player who's regarded as the best in the world is obviously going to be missed, but thanks to God, Amarildo, who played on the wing with me at Botafogo, didn't crumble under the pressure of pulling on the Amarelinha," Zagallo recalled during a conversation with FIFA.com. "He was used to playing with his team-mates, and he relaxed and had a great World Cup."

On the other hand, Pele said: "Apparently Amarildo wasn't ready [for the World Cup], but he'd had a fantastic championship with Botafogo and that's why he was called up. You need confidence to play in the World Cup and he did a perfect job."