In 2002 I was living as a reporter in Buenos Aires when Brazil made it to the World Cup final -- for the 3rd straight time. A friend and I spontaneously bought tickets to Rio so we could be there for the celebration when they inevitably won. A big beery sea of yellow & green revelers on Copacabana chanting "Pen-ta-campe-ÃO!" My first lesson in a vowel sound I am still trying to master to this day. The initial seduction in a long romance with Brazil.
*Never* did I imagine so much time would pass before seeing a similar party. At LEAST 28 years will pass before the "hexa," matching Brazil's longest drought from 1st Cup in 1930 to the magical 1958 run when a 17-year-old Pelé set the world on fire.
Then, as during the 24-year drought from Pelé's last Cup until the 1994 win, I see all kinds of theories about Brazil's decay in both soccer & other areas. I am not a specialist in the técnica of the sport, but I did see a lack of big, confident personalities on this team -- Vini, Jr, and 10 other guys, it seemed. You read about Romario, Ronaldinho, Socrates, Carlos Alberto, Zico, etc, and I never had many expectations for this group. Neymar was never up to it, too fragile, sneering, symbolic of an era that now ends.
Brazil will do the inevitable soul-searching and some of it's necessary. (NORWAY?? 5 mln people, a quarter of São Paulo) I would personally like to see a little more celebration, or at least awareness, of the history. A generation of players that mostly snubbed Pelé's funeral (as Lula recently noted with appropriate pique) may be symbolic of a need to reconnect with the creativity & verve that made Brazil great. So many good things happening in the country today, would be great to see soccer again at the same altura so my Brazilian kids can celebrate like I once did ;) VIVA.
PS photo is from the Morocco game, not yesterday. I am not pé frio.
