The guessing game is finally over & after a long wait we have a winner in the name of Brazil. Having won the World Cup on 4 previous occasions; Brazil came in this World Cup as the only team to have played in every single World Cup tournament. But it was surprising to see Brazil play such pathetic football in the qualifying rounds in which they were beaten for the first time by teams like Ecuador. Though, they managed to enter the tournament by defeating Venezuela in their last qualifying match; people still had their doubts about their caliber & talents. Ever since Brazil was defeated by France during the finals of 98 World Cup; they (Brazil) have followed up with a string of disappointing performances which really doesn’t reflect their exact talent.
Brazil has loads of talented players in it’s national side like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Cafu & Juninho Paulista but there was always a shadow of doubt about their inconsistent performance on the field. The South American were placed in Group C which was considered as the weakest group in the tournament. And with teams like Costa Rica, China & Turkey in this group; I never doubted Brazil to enter the 2nd round with any hiccups. In fact I was sure from the start that Brazil will emerge as the leader in this group since it had some weak teams in it. Their commitment & discipline on the field is worth a mention & I think because of this quality they managed to win the World Cup for the record 5th time.
The Man: ( Coach)
Scolari Luiz Felipe
The Brazil team had 4 coaches coaching the national side during the qualifying stages & they finally got the perfect man for the job in the form of Scolari Luiz Felipe. When 54yrs old Scolari took the job of coaching the Brazilian side in the World Cup, he was not sure about the success of his team. Though, he was confident about his player’s ability & talent; he was always skeptical about their performance on the field. But it was his experience & his player’s performance (especially Ronaldo’s) on the field, which made him proud in the end.
The Boys: (Players)
Ronaldo: (Striker)
Though Ronaldo is only 26yrs old, he has already entered in to the record books with his magical performance on the field. He is not only regarded as the best striker of all time by his teammates but also by his most loyal critic. He made his debut against Argentina in 1994 at the age of 17 & made his mark in the hearts of millions across the globe with his prolific goal scoring routine. Even in this World Cup he scored 8 goals (2 against Germany in the finals) that helped him earn FIFA’s “Golden Ball” award. If there is one person in this entire world who can directly be compared with Pele, then that person has to be Ronaldo.
Rivaldo: ( Mid fielder)
Rivaldo first made his appearance against Mexico in 1993. But unlike Ronaldo or Roberto Carlos, he took his own time to steal the limelight from other big names of his time. When Ronaldo left Barcelona to join Inter Milan they picked Rivaldo in his place & he made his mark straightaway in the first season itself. Since then, Rivaldo has played 64 international matches & has scored 33 goals for his country (Including 5 goals in World Cup 2002). Ronaldo must have scored 8 goals during the present World Cup but half of the goals scored by Ronaldo should be credited to Rivaldo’s brilliance.
Ronaldinho: ( Mid Fielder)
Ronaldinho was perhaps the youngest Mid Fielder playing for this Brazilian side. He’s an aggressive Mid Fielder who has scored 10 international goals in just 25 appearance for his team. His present club team Paris St-Germain of France, consider him to be their best player. He scored 2 goals in this World Cup (1 against England in the Quarterfinals which also earned him the “Man of the match” award) & was Brazil’s most valuable player of the series.
Roberto Carlos: (Defender)
Roberto Carlos is one of the biggest super-star in world football despite the fact that he scored only 7 international goals in 92 appearance for his country. He can score goals with his amazing free kicks (Sometimes his shots seemingly defies the law of Science). His club team Real Madrid consist of players like Raul, Zidane & Luis Figo but his popularity in Spain has not decreased a scrap. He can be termed as Brazil’s most famous defender of all time.
Cafu: (Defender)
Cafu is the only player in the history of Football who has played in 3 consecutive World Cup finals. Cafu who was given the responsibility of captaining this Brazilian side during the present World Cup & he did his job with full perfection. Though, he has scored only 5 goals in his entire career of 111 matches, he still played a stimulating part behind the winning of this Brazilian side.
Other Players:
Goal Keepers:
Marcos {Palmeiras (BRA)}
Rogerio Ceni {Sao Paulo (BRA)}
Dida {Corinthians (BRA)}
Defender
Roque Júnior {AC Milan (ITA)}
Edmílson {Olympique Lyonnais(Fra)}
Lucio {Bayer Leverkusen (GER)}
Belletti { Sao Paulo (BRA)}
Forward
Denilson {Betis Seville (ESP)}
Edílson { Cruzeiro (BRA)}
Luizao {Gremio (BRA)}
Mid Fielder
Juninho Paulista { Flamengo (BRA)}
Kleberson { Atletico Paranaense (BRA)}
Vampeta {Corinthians (BRA)}
Team Fitness:
The Brazilian side never had any major injury problem (except Ronaldo’s knee injury). They are very athletic & aggressive on the field & their never say die attitude is what separates them from the rest of the nations. Even Cafu who is a veteran of 111 international matches is as fit as any new comer of this game. Luckily Ronaldo was in perfect health condition throughout the tournament & he did not disappoint his coach & fans in anyway. They won the World Cup because the entire team consisting of 23 players were fit as athletes.
Plus-Point of the Brazilians:
The 3 R’s viz Ronaldo, Rivaldo & Ronaldinho are the major force behind the success of this Brazilian side. The best thing about this South American side is, if Ronaldo or Rivaldo fails to click on any given day, then Roberto Carlos or Ronaldinho can handles the situation & single handedly win matches for their team.
Draw-Back of the Brazilians:
Their attitude is their biggest enemy on the field. Except for Ronaldo & Roberto Carlos, every single Brazilian player has this ego problem, which sometimes proves fruitful for their opponents.