President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva released this Saturday, the 13th, a video asking the Brazilian team to play with “soul” during their debut against Morocco in the World Cup. In the recording, he addresses coach Carlo Ancelotti and says that, more important than technique, is the team playing “thinking about the Brazilian people, who need a victory”.
“Tell them, Ancelotti, that they need to play for the Brazilian people. Play for the teenagers, for the girls and for the boys who have very high expectations for our team to win a sixth championship,” says Lula in the video.
In the images, Lula wears the national team’s shirt with a sticker that says “Brazil belongs to the Brazilians”. He recommends to the coach: “Give these boys some advice. In addition to playing the ball you know, play with a little soul.”
In the post, the president says that he has been following the World Cup since 1958, and suggests to Ancelotti that he does not mind comparisons with the teams of 1958, 1962, 1970 – years in which Brazil lifted the cup
“It’s worth nothing (the comparison), what really counts is that you called up the team. The kids that are there, the kids that you have, that you chose”, he says.
Lula also remembers Ancelotti’s history as a player – he was champion of the Champions League twice with Milan. The PT member states that, given this experience, the Italian knows how fundamental the team’s determination, cohesion and motivation are, and asks the players for persistence.
“When you fall, get up. When you fall, don’t complain. Get up and take the ball away from your opponent. And remember one thing: what counts is kicking the ball into the opponent’s goal and it goes in. What counts is the ball in the opponent’s goal. So, whenever you can, kick it. For the love of God, kick it”, jokes Lula.
The president ends the video by saying that Ancelotti can become a hero like coaches Feola, Zagallo and Felipão. “You have a team. We don’t compete in the World Cup, we win”, he concludes.
Brazil plays from 7 pm (Brasília time), in New Jersey. The match is broadcast live on TV Globo (open TV), SBT (open TV), NSports (streaming), Ge TV (streaming), SporTV (closed TV) and Cazé TV (Youtube and Disney+).
