Brazil’s last World Cup victory was a result of hard work and good relationships between the players
In the last column, I highlighted the cutting of the Emerson midfielder on the eve of the team’s debut in the 2002 World Cup, a fact that was recorded by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari in a diary made during the penta campaign. The coach put on paper his own impressions about the players and the team’s evolution as the World Cup progressed.
The 1-0 victory against Turkey, scored by Ronaldo, guaranteed Brazil in the final against Germany. The decisive game was played on June 30, in Yokohama. Felipão highlighted: “(…) We arrived at the big day. The expectation is huge and every moment I see one athlete pass by another and touch their shoulder and it feels like ‘we’re together’. I’m so proud of this group, I believe in 90% of what I imagined in relation to friendship, affection, goal achieved, if it wasn’t 100% it’s because I didn’t have the capacity for more or didn’t know how to get closer to some. (…).” Still in the diary, Scolari made a point of highlighting the group’s unity even at the time of the official photo, taken on the lawn before the start of the duel against the Germans: “Everyone went to take photos, which was not allowed by FIFA, but they got organized and that was it. EVERYONE was there. It was another pleasant surprise from this group.”
The 2-0 victory against Germany, with two goals from Ronaldo, the World Cup’s top scorer with eight goals, increased the team’s hegemony in World Cups. In the diary written by the Brazilian coachthe five-time champion vented when talking about the achievement: “Joy, crying, emotion, Olympic return, hugs and penta. Cup in hand. We returned to the hotel and released everyone. We stayed until 4 am reliving everything we accomplished this year of the selection. Even at this moment of celebration, we noticed how important it was to leave Brazil for Spain. Malaysia and friendlies that we held before and after the start of the World Cup pre-season. (…) We try to give athletes back their confidence. (…) We showed the world the competence of a medical department and the qualities of our physical trainers and our physiotherapists, not forgetting our support group, which was wonderful. (…).”
Felipão highlighted that the group stayed together for 53 days until the title. Regarding the tactical scheme used, which was subject to criticism, the coach explained that he bet on three defenders and that “As some did not understand what Brazil’s game plan was, I emphasize again [que] ‘I used all the qualities of the athletes’, with variations for certain moments.” The coach pointed out that the scheme varied during the World Cup and that the team was skilled at occupying spaces, surprising their opponents and always getting ahead. Excerpts from the diary are published in the book “Felipão, the soul of penta” (ZH publications/2002), by Ruy Carlos Ostermann. It’s worth checking out!
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
