| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Dida | Goalkeeper | AC Milan (Italy) |
| Rogerio Ceni | Goalkeeper | Sao Paulo |
| Julio Cesar | Goalkeeper | Inter Milan (Italy) |
| Cafu | Defender | AC Milan (Italy) |
| Roberto Carlos | Defender | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| Cicinho | Defender | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| Cris | Defender | Olympique Lyon (France) |
| Gilberto | Defender | Hertha Berlin (Germany) |
| Juan | Defender | Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Lucio | Defender | Bayern Munich (Germany) |
| Luisao | Defender | Benfica (Portugal) |
| Emerson | Midfielder | Juventus (Italy) |
| Juninho | Midfielder | Olympique Lyon (France) |
| Kaka | Midfielder | AC Milan (Italy) |
| Mineiro | Midfielder | Sao Paulo |
| Ricardinho | Midfielder | Corinthians |
| Gilberto Silva | Midfielder | Arsenal (England) |
| Ze Roberto | Midfielder | Bayern Munich (Germany) |
| Adriano | Forward | Inter Milan (Italy) |
| Fred | Forward | Olympique Lyon (France) |
| Robinho | Forward | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| Ronaldinho | Forward | FC Barcelona (Spain) |
| Ronaldo | Forward | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| Head Coach: | Carlos Alberto Parreira | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Carlos Alberto Parreira uses an attacking 4-4-2 (really a 4-2-2-2) formation but stresses caution. The two outside fullbacks, Cafu on left and Roberto Carlos on the right, are encouraged to move forward down the wings to attack, as long as they can come back in time to defend when the opposition is pressing. Players must also play high-percentage passes and not take any chances in their half of the field. The four-man midfield is split between the defensive stoppers in the middle (Emerson and Ze Roberto) and the two wide men (Kaka and Ronaldinho) who run the Brazil engine room as the side's creators and playmakers. Though they line up on the left and right side of the field, Kaka and Ronaldinho are given free licence to drift all over the field, while Emerson and Ze Roberto concentrate on breaking up the opposition's attack. Both Kaka and Ronaldinho are dangerous when shooting from a distance and run directly at defenders, but their main job will be to supply service to the two forwards, Ronaldo and Adriano. They often criss-cross up front, taking defenders out of the play and leaving open spaces for Kaka and Ronaldinho to exploit. Otherwise, look for low balls on the ground to be played towards them so then can make use of their speed.
Probable starting formation (4-2-2): (GK) Dida - (D) Cafu, Lucio, Juan, Roberto Carlos - (M) Emerson, Ze Roberto, Kaka, Ronaldinho - (F) Ronaldo, Adriano
Strengths:
Forward depth - Real Madrid galacticos - such as three-time world
player of the year Ronaldo (the top scorer in South American qualifying with
10 goals), and sensational young forward Robinho - litter a Brazilian national
team absolutely teeming with options up front. Inter Milan's Adriano, considered
by many as the most dangerous striker in the world, terrorizes opposing defenders
with his blinding speed, mazy runs and lethal scoring touch.
Midfield - Brazil's midfield is just awesome, boasting world-class
players who offer a variety of skills. Juventus battler Emerson holds things
together with his solid defensive skills and ability to launch attacks, AC
Milan's Kaka is one of the best playmakers in soccer, Juninho of French club
Olympique Lyon is the best free kick specialist and crosser in the world (yes,
even better than David Beckham) and nothing more can be said about Ronaldinho,
currently the best player on the planet.
Confidence and Intimidation - Let's see, Brazil is the reigning World,
South American and Confederations Cup champions, it's ranked No. 1 in the
world by FIFA and has Ronaldo, the two-time reigning world player of the year.
Brazil strikes trembling fear into opposing teams before its players even
step onto the field, a psychological edge it uses to intimidate would-be challengers
- and it usually works.
Weaknesses:
The Ronaldinho factor - That Ronaldinho is the best player in the world
can't be questioned but the FC Barcelona star often finds it difficult to
duplicate his stunning form in the Spanish league when he plays for the national
team. As the fulcrum of the Brazilian team, he must reach the same levels
of greatness he routinely reaches with Barcelona - if he's not at his best,
Brazil's chances for success diminish.
Defence - Lucio (Bayer Munich) and Juan (Bayer Leverkusen) provide
stability in the centre of defence, but Brazil has serious issues at the fullback
positions. Roberto Carlos and Cafu are the wrong side of 30, both have lost
a step and all too often forget about their defensive duties and concentrate
on making attacking runs down the wings. Both of them are defensive liabilities.
Gilberto and Cicinho are capable defenders, but they haven't earned the trust
of coach Parreira as they only appeared in a handful of games for Brazil.
Goalkeeping - It's always been Brazil's weak point and this team is
no exception. AC Milan's Dida is coming off a shaky regular season in Italy,
but Parreira seems intent on going with him as his starting goalkeeper. Backup
Julio Cesar of Inter Milan, like Dida, is error prone and has long lapses
of inconsistency. Neither one of them really inspires confidence from his
defenders.
Players to watch:
Ronaldinho: The best player in the world today, BAR NONE! The two-time
reigning world player of the year is a marvel to watch, especially the way
he undresses defenders with his deft ball control and amazing moves. Ronaldinho
is a creative genius who has it all: vision, speed, strength and the ability
to make the impossible look so easy on a soccer field. At the 2002 World Cup,
he was overshadowed by Ronaldo and Rivaldo. Germany will be his time to shine.
Ronaldo: Set to appear in his fourth World Cup, Ronaldo needs only
three more goals to pass Gerd Muller as the tournament's all-time leading
scorer. The Real Madrid forward led Brazil to glory four years ago in Japan,
but he's coming off a less-than-impressive season in Spain and will be looking
to repair his somewhat damaged reputation in Germany with a standout performance.
Despite his recent struggles, he's still one of the top strikers in the world.
Kaka: He burst onto the world scene in Italy in 2003 with AC Milan
and hasn't looked back since. Kaka ranks as one of the most dangerous players
in the game, his driving runs, sublime ball control and perfect passes able
to undo even the tightest of defences. A driving force in midfield, Kaka is
a brilliant playmaker who has an eye for goal and can break open a game in
an instant.
Key injuries/omissions: Brazil suffered a bit of a blow when midfielder Edmilson was forced to pull out because of a knee injury. He was replaced by Mineiro. The only slightly surprising selections were goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni (instead of Marcos), striker Fred (ahead of Ricardo Oliveira), defender Gilberto (in place of Gustavo Nery) and centre fullback Cris (and not Roque Junior). Forward Julio Baptista was a notable omission, however. Striker Ronaldo has fought injury problems and inconsistency all season long in Spain with Real Madrid and many critics question whether he is fully fit to play in Germany.
Prognosis: Brazil comes into the tournament as the favourite for good reason. The only nation to have participated in every World Cup since its inception in 1930, Brazil only lost twice - away to Argentina and Ecuador - in 18 qualifying matches as it secured a World Cup berth with two games to spare. In between qualifying matches, the Selecao also found time to win the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany, thrashing archrivals Argentina 4-1 in the final. Brazil will be looking to appear in its fourth consecutive World Cup final and repeat as champions. And considering the depth of world-class talent coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has at his disposal, it's not hard to understand why Brazil is the odds on favourite to lift the World Cup in Germany. Finishing first place in Group F is a given. A potential second-round matchup with Italy and the Czech Republic poses a bit of a problem, but who's kidding who - this is Brazil's tournament to lose. It has the talent, skill, and reputation. Brazil is in a class by itself, and anything less than winning the World Cup will be viewed as a major disappointment and a huge shock.
Road to the World Cup
Current FIFA Ranking: #1
1st round matches:
June 13 vs. Croatia in Berlin
June 18 vs. Australia in Munich
June 22 vs. Japan in Dortmund
2006 qualification route: Brazil finished in first place in South
America (34 points) ahead of Argentina (34 points).
Qualifying record: 18 games played, 9 wins, 7 draws, 2 losses
Goals for: 35 Goals against: 17
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Ronaldo (10)
Qualifying results: (home team listed first)
Sept. 7, 2003 - Colombia 1, Brazil 2
Sept. 10, 2003 - Brazil 2, Ecuador 0
Nov. 16, 2003 - Peru 1, Brazil 1
Nov. 19, 2003 - Brazil 3, Uruguay 3
March 31, 2004 - Paraguay 0, Brazil 0
June 2, 2004 - Brazil 3, Argentina 1
June 6, 2004 - Chile 1, Brazil 1
Sept. 5, 2004 - Brazil 3, Bolivia 1
Oct. 9, 2004 - Venezuela 2, Brazil 5
Oct. 13, 2005 - Brazil 0, Colombia 0
Nov. 17, 2005 - Ecuador 1, Brazil 0
March 27, 2005 - Brazil 1, Peru 0
March 30, 2005 - Uruguay 1, Brazil 1
June 5, 2005 - Brazil 4, Paraguay 1
June 8, 2005 - Argentina 3, Brazil 1
Sept. 4, 2005 - Brazil 5, Chile 0
Oct. 9, 2005 - Bolivia 1, Brazil 1
Oct. 12, 2005 - Brazil 3, Venezuela 0
World Cup History
FIFA member since: 1923
Team nickname: Selecao
All-time caps leader: Cafu (141)
All-time leading scorer: Pele (77 goals)
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: 17
All-time record: 87 games played, 60 wins, 14 draws, 13 losses
Goals for: 191 Goals against: 82
World Cup History:
1930 - First round
1934 - First round
1938 - Semifinals (3rd place)
1950 - Runners-up
1954 - Quarter-finals
1958 - CHAMPIONS
1962 - CHAMPIONS
1966 - First round
1970 - CHAMPIONS
1974 - Second round (4th place)
1978 - Second round (3rd place)
1982 - Quarter-finals
1986 - Quarter-finals
1990 - Second round
1994 - CHAMPIONS
1998 - Runners-up
2002 - CHAMPIONS
Biggest victory: 7-1 vs. Sweden in 1950
Biggest defeat: 3-0 vs. France in 1998
Overall top scorer: Pele (12 goals)
Most appearances: Dunga and Taffarel (18 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: 1950
Past Achievements:
Copa America Champions: 1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999, 2004
Under-20 World Champions: 1983, 1985, 1993, 2003
Confederations Cup Champions: 1997, 2005
Under-17 World Chanpions: 1997, 1999, 2003
Olympic Silver Medal: 1984, 1988
Olympic Bronze Medal: 1996
Greatest Players:
Pele: The greatest player ever to play the game, Pele is one of the most
recognizable and revered athletes of the 20th century. Born Edson Arantes
do Nascimento, Pele led Brazil to its first World Cup in 1958 at the tender
age of 17, and scored 77 goals in 92 games during his international career.
He won three World Cups during his sparking career.
Zico: Born Artur Antunes Coimbra, Zico was voted South American Player of the Year in 1977, 1981 and 1982. He played in three World Cups (1978, 1982 and 1986) before retiring in 1990 after earning 72 caps for Brazil. He's often considered the best Brazilian player after Pele and Garrincha.