“After the game against Argentina [na Copa de 90]everything bad that happened in Brazil, it rained a lot, there was a disaster, the dollar rose, things were not going well economically in Brazil, so everyone took advantage [para dizer]: ‘the Dunga era, the Dunga era’. It was a tough four years.”
In the documentary series “Brazil vs Dunga: football on a war footing”, which premieres this Thursday (19) on SporTV, the captain of the team speaks candidly about the weight that the elimination to Argentina brought to his life. At the time, the midfielder was chosen by public opinion as the main culprit for the early fall in the round of 16, as he failed to kill Maradona’s play in midfield, which ended up culminating in Caniggia’s goal.
“After the Dopey era, a strange business [aconteceu] with me. When I see a camera, a camera, I can hardly smile”, said the former player in the series.
Director of the documentary, Fernando Acquarone says that he chose to start the documentary remembering the traumatic elimination in Italy because it was a crucial moment in the career of the gaucho, who left small Ijuí, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, to stand out with his shirts from Internacional, Corinthians, Santos, Vasco and Fiorentina, as well as the Brazilian team.
“It’s a moment that is part of his development, as a player and also as a person”, says Acquarone to Sheet.
The series portrays the player’s suffering on his return to Brazil, which helped form the character that would turn things around four years later, lifting the championship trophy by beating Italy on penalties.
“He goes from hell in 1990 to glory in 1994, it’s a story of very strong overcoming”, adds the director.
According to Acquarone, in the year in which the 30th anniversary of the four-team title is celebrated, the series seeks to deconstruct the image that has been imprinted in the imagination of many people since then, of a tough player on the field, a symbol of high-performance football, but with technical limitations and uncharismatic.
It shows Dunga’s goalscoring flair at the beginning of his career in Rio Grande do Sul and his successful spell at Fiorentina, where he played an important role in a midfield that had Roberto Baggio — with whom Dunga built a great friendship, having shared the house where they lived in Florence.
The series also brings a lesser-known side of the tetra captain, such as the social work he promotes in Porto Alegre, distributing food to people in vulnerable situations.
“To our surprise, we met a super fun, playful Dunga, who helps a lot of people at risk, has a huge heart. We came across a completely different person from what is perpetuated in the press and I’m sure the public will be surprised”, says Acquarone.
The series features testimonies from players who were at the 90 and 94 World Cups, such as Taffarel, Bebeto and Roberto Baggio, as well as the president of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) at the time, Ricardo Teixeira. “Because it was Dunga, Ricardo Teixeira made a point of speaking, especially because he was a very important character for the director’s own career.”
An absence felt is that of Romário, a fundamental player in winning the four in the United States. “Just as Dunga didn’t appear in Romário’s series, Romário doesn’t appear in Dunga’s. But the two respect each other a lot. Romário speaks well of Dunga in his series, and Dunga speaks well of Romário in his own series”, he says Acquarone.
The documentary also portrays the first steps as a coach, a journey that began as a technical consultant for the Japanese Júbilo Iwata. And he advances to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, in which he led the team that was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Netherlands.
“At the end of the series, Galvão Bueno appeals to Dunga to return to being a coach, saying that he is a new guy [61 anos]and still has a lot to give to Brazilian football”, says Acquarone.
His last job as a coach was with the Brazilian national team, which he returned to command between 2014 and 2016.
“He replied that he would work as a coach again only if it was an offer he couldn’t refuse,” says Acquarone. “I think one day we will see Dunga again on the edge of the field commanding his players. I just don’t know when.”
