Group G
Brazil
North Korea
Ivory Coast
Portugal
Nickname: Seleção (The Selection). Also Canarinhos (Little Canary) and Verde e Amarelo (Green and Yellow).
Colors: Gold and blue with green highlights
Current World Ranking: 1
Manager: Dunga
Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri is a former player who captained the team that won the Cup in 1994 and lost in the finals to France in 1998. He almost didn’t have that chance though because he was one player that bore the brunt of the nation’s criticism after their poor showing in 1990 as he was labeled slow, uncreative, and thuggish by the Brazilian media. After getting past that he became on of their most beloved players so it was a stretch that he started managing the team after their poor showing in the ’06 Cup. Dunga has been unapologetic about not catering to the big name stars on the squad, instead emphasizing the team concept and even going out to find unsung Brazilian talent around the world. So far it’s been working.
History: What can you say about Brazil? They’re the best. The have the most World Cups (5), they’re ranked number 1 in the world, the lowest they’ve ever been ranked since FIFA started keeping track is 8th, they were the top team in the world from 1980-2001 with a 74% winning average and 1.3 goal difference, and they’ve played in every single World Cup. What more do you want?
Brazil won its first Cup in 1958 then followed that up with two more in rapid succession, 1962 and 1972, both occurring during Brazil’s “Golden Era” that was dominated by stars like Zito, Garrincha, and of course, Pele. While they still played strongly and finished well in the tournaments of the 70’s and 80’s, they went through a relative drought and didn’t win another Cup until 1994 in the US when they beat Italy on penalties after their star, Roberto Baggio missed his shot. They made it to the final again in 1998 but were undone by hosts France 3-0, thanks to two brilliant goals by Zinedine Zidane. They didn’t need to wait very long to reclaim the top spot though after beating the second most successful team in the world, Germany, 2-0 in the final in South Korea. Remarkably their keeper in that tournament was suffering from the pain of a broken wrist that hadn’t healed properly and they still won behind the brilliant play of Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho.
2006 was a big disappointment for Brazil, losing out to France again in the Quarterfinals 1-0. Many people blamed their performance on the strategy employed by the coach at the time, Parreira, which he called “the magic square” based on the four offensive players, Ronaldo, Adriano, Kaka, and Ronaldinho. It never really took hold and the team suffered as a result.
Again though, they didn’t wait long to claim another trophy as they won last summer’s Confederation’s Cup in South Africa after thrashing the US 3-0, Italy 3-0, and squeaking past Egypt 4-3. They took down South Africa 1-0 in the semi-finals then went down to the US 2-0 in the first half of the final but came rushing back to overwhelm the Yanks with 3 goals in the second half, proving once again why they’re the best.
They spent the better part of the last 2 years in 2nd place in the FIFA rankings behind Spain, but just recently regained the top spot thanks to injury concerns in the Spanish squad.
So, why is Brazil so awesome all the time? While England invented the game it’s often said that Brazil perfected it. Plus, the domestic league in Brazil has been ravaged by corruption for decades so the best players in the country try to get the hell out of there and head to the greener pastures of Italy, Spain, and to a lesser extent England. That means, as we’ve mentioned before, the Brazilians benefit for their great heritage then go abroad and learn all the secrets Europe has to offer. Then they come home to the national team and they are still unquestionably Brazilian, but they also have all the best skills of their opponents.
Players: Brazil has had some of the greatest players in the history of the game, including the greatest, Pele. There is never a shortage of talent at any position and it seems like with every World Cup you see the end of one legend’s career and the beginning of three more.
Admittedly I love watching Brazil play – it’s fluid, inventive, and beautiful, just as the game is intended. But I no longer root for Brazil primarily because the cream of their crop in the past decade has turned out to be whiny and difficult prima donna’s and I just don’t have any patience for them. From Ronlaldo to Ronaldinho to Robinho, they seem to be more trouble than they’re worth for the teams they play for. Granted, I understand the hypocrisy of rooting for a team like England with some of the players they have, but I only have so much loyalty in me and I’ve chosen England for my loyalty, not Brazil. Plus, Brazilians rarely playing in the English Premier League because they don’t speak English, don’t like the weather, and generally don’t adapt well to the English style of play.
One other note on Brazilian players – you’ll notice that many of them, especially the best among them, all have just one name. This is actually common in Brazilian culture where nicknames are often used more frequently than given names in all walks of life. Some think the tradition is owed to a high illiteracy rate where short, spoken names are just easier while others think it might date back to Brazil’s slavery system where slaves were known by only a first name, or first name and country of origin. There aren’t really any rules for who gets nicknames or what nickname they get but there is definitely an affinity for goal scorers while defenders usually keep their given names. A lot of times players with the same name will choose a nickname just to differentiate themselves.
Kaka (Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite) – Attacking Midfielder
Kaka made a name for himself with Italian club AC Milan where he started playing in 2003 and won a League Title, a Champions League Title and the FIFA Player of the Year Award. In 2009 English side Manchester City made a record bid of 100M pounds for Kaka’s services but he turned down the offer saying he wanted to grow old at Milan. Six months later he apparently aged enough because he signed with Spanish club Real Madrid for just under 70M pounds. His first year with Real has been marked by nagging injuries and in fact, he’s still recovering from one now but claims he’ll be ready in time for the Cup. At 28 Kaka has been playing for the Brazilian senior squad for nearly a decade having debuted at the 2002 Cup (playing only 25 minutes). He played an integral role in their 2006 campaign and has become one of the moral leaders of the team. Like most Brazilians he’s quick, fluid, and creative and despite being one of the best, most recognizable players in the world, he’s more than capable of sliding past defenders without being noticed.
His nickname is a common term of endearment for the name Ricardo.
Julio Cesar (Julio Cesar Soares de Espindola) – Goalie
I’m not sure many Brazilians grow up wanting to be a goalie but in the land of legendary strikers, Julio Cesar stands out as one of the greatest keepers in the world right now and maybe ever. In fact, he has just presided over a 5th straight league title in the Italian Serie A and his first ever Champions League Title with Internazionale. At 30 years old he’s been on Brazil’s national team since 2003 but has been the backup to Dida for most of that time. Despite all his credentials at club level this Cup will be his first major tournament as the number one keeper.
Robinho (Robson de Souza) – Striker
I remember hearing about this kid back in 2003 when he was supposed to be the next great Brazilian. In fact, Pele had picked Robinho as his heir apparent at the age of 15. No doubt he has talent, quickness and guile, but an inability to completely mesh with the club team he’s played for has most certainly stunted his true potential. Even then he’s won two league titles with his first club in Brazil, Santos, then moved to Real Madrid where he won two more. At times he would be integral to the team’s success while at others he was left on the outside looking in. In early 2008 Real used Robinho as trade bait to try to lure Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. After that deal fell through and Robinho found out about it he immediately demanded a transfer which he got to Manchester City where an ungodly wealthy Arab Investment Company had just taken over ownership. He was hailed as the team’s savior and certainly he raised the profile of the club and the desire for other top talent to play there, but it didn’t take long for him to slip down the bench after an injury at the beginning of this past season. With the arrival of other big names like Tevez, Adebayor, and Barry, Robinho thought it best to head back home to Santos to ensure he got the playing time he needed ahead of the Cup. At 26 he’s already played 71 matches for his nation, scoring 20 goals.
On a side note, in 2004 Robinho’s mother was kidnapped by gunmen and held for 6 weeks until she was returned unharmed after the ransom was paid.
Luis Fabiano – Striker
At 29 Fabiano has been a late bloomer for the national team. He made his debut in 2003 but went three full years without another cap and wasn’t a regular in the squad until 2007. He made up for lost time in last year’s Confederations Cup with an impressive performance including two goals against the US in the final. He continued his good form through this past season and looks to be the go-to choice to partner alongside Robinho in the attack.
Ronaldinho (Ronaldo de Assis Moreira) – Midfielder
One of the most talented Brazilians in their history, Ronaldinho is capable of doing things with the ball that others can’t even dream of. He’s a human highlight reel that has scored goals at every level with every team he’s ever played for. He’s played for the national team since he was a kid and was integral to their 2002 WC title. He’s one of the most recognizable and popular players in the world but despite all of that, he didn’t even make the final squad this year. Such is the strategy of the manager, Dunga, that he would leave one of Brazil’s all-time greats off his squad for this tournament. Since being named the Player of the Year while at Barcelona a few years ago, Ronaldinho’s play has been marked by constant injuries and questionable commitment. He’s still one of the most brilliant players to watch but his laziness on the defensive half is epic, which has led Dunga to pass him over in favor of finding the next great Brazilian star. Such is the talent at his disposal.
Prediction: Obviously they’re the favorites to win it all. They’ll need to get through this group first though, which is one to have earned the proverbial nickname, “the Group of Death,” for the quality of the teams represented in it. We can go ahead and dismiss North Korea right away just for being North Korea. But Ivory Coast and Portugal are both quality teams that have been playing like absolute shite lately for one reason or another that we’ll touch on later. Each of them when at their best, especially Portugal, could legitimately knock off Brazil and make their road to the final that much more difficult. But one team that isn’t complaining about getting drawn into a Group of Death is Brazil. They live for the opportunity to play and beat the best the world has to offer, as they so often do.
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