Brazil national football team

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This article is about Brazil's men's national football team. For the women's team, see Brazil women's national football team.

Brazil
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Canarinho
(Little Canary)
A Seleção
(The Selection)
Verde-Amarela
(Green and Yellow)
Samba Boys
AssociationConfederação Brasileira de Futebol
(Brazilian Football Confederation)
ConfederationCONMEBOL (South America)
Head coachMano Menezes
CaptainLúcio
Most capsCafu (142)[1][2]
Top scorerPelé (77)[2]
Home stadiumMaracanã
Morumbi
Mineirão
FIFA codeBRA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current5
Highest1 (1993–2007, 2009–10)
Lowest8 (August 1993)
First international
 Argentina 3–0 Brazil Brazil
(Buenos Aires, Argentina; September 20, 1914)[3]
Biggest win
Brazil Brazil 14–0 Nicaragua 
(Mexico; October 17, 1975)[4]
Biggest defeat
 Uruguay 6–0 Brazil Brazil
(Viña del Mar, Chile; September 18, 1920)
World Cup
Appearances19 (first in 1930)
Best resultWinners, 1958, 1962,
1970, 1994, 2002
Copa América
Appearances32 (first in 1916)
Best resultWinners, 1919, 1922,
1949, 1989, 1997, 1999,
2004, 2007
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1996)
Best result2nd place, 1996 and 2003
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances6 (first in 1997)
Best resultWinners, 1997, 2005, 2009

The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) since 1923 and also a member of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) since 1916. Brazil is the most successful national football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup, with five championships. They are also the most successful team in the FIFA Confederations Cup with three titles. In continental level, Brazil has won eight Copa América titles.

Brazil are the reigning Copa América champions; they won the last two competitions in 2004 and 2007. Brazil are also the current holders of the FIFA Confederations Cup after winning the 2005 and the 2009 edition of the tournament. Brazil is currently ranked fifth by FIFA and is consistently considered the strongest football nation in the world, and has also been marked as one of the most competitive teams of each decade since the 1960s. Brazil are the only national team to have played in every World Cup.

Brazil is the only team to have won the championship in four different continents; once in Europe (1958 Sweden), once in South America (1962 Chile), twice in North America (1970 Mexico and 1994 USA) and once in Asia (2002 S. Korea-Japan). A common quip about football is: "Os ingleses o inventaram, os brasileiros o aperfeiçoaram" ("The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it").[5][6]

Brazil is currently coached by Mano Menezes, who was appointed to replace Dunga after the 2010 World Cup. Brazil is scheduled to host the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup and therefore, they are automatically qualified for the tournaments. They are also scheduled to defend their Copa América title in the 2011 tournament.

History

Further information: Football in Brazil

Early history (1914–1957)

The first match of the Brazil national football team ever is generally believed to be a 1914 match between a Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo select team and the English club Exeter City, held in Fluminense's stadium.[7][8] Brazil won 2–0 with goals by Oswaldo Gomes and Osman,[7][8][9] whilst others claim a 3–3 draw.[10][11] In contrast to its future success, the national team's early appearances were far from brilliant, partly due to an internal strife within Brazilian football associations over professionalism, which rendered the Brazilian Football Confederation unable to field full-strength teams.

Brazil's first match at home against Exeter City in 1914.

In particular, disputes between the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro state football federations meant that the team would not be composed of players coming from either of the federations.[12][13] In both the 1930 and 1934 tournaments, Brazil were knocked out at the very first stage.[14][15] But 1938 was a sign of things to come, as Brazil ended up in third place, with Leonidas da Silva finishing the tournament as the top scorer of the tournament.

Brazil hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup, which was the first tournament to be held after World War II. It is the only time Brazil has hosted this championship to date (excluding the upcoming 2014 tournament). The 1950 tournament was unique in not having one single final, but rather a final round-robin stage of four teams. However, for all intents and purposes, the deciding match between Brazil and Uruguay acted as that tournament's "final". The match was hosted at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, watched by 199,854 people, and Brazil only needed a draw to win, but lost the match 2–1 after being up 1–0. This match has since been known in South America as the "Maracanazo". In Brazil it is called the "Final Fatídica" ("fateful final").[16]

For the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland, the Brazilian team was then almost completely renovated, so as to forget the Maracanã defeat, but still had a group of good players, including Nílton Santos, Djalma Santos, and Didi. Brazil didn't go very far though. The quarterfinals saw the favorites Hungary beat Brazil 4–2 in one of the ugliest matches in football history, which would become infamous as the Battle of Berne.[17]

The Golden Era and Pelé (1958–1970)

Brazil's coach, Vicente Feola, imposed strict rules on the squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, held in Sweden. The players were given a list of forty things that they were not allowed to do, including wearing hats or umbrellas, smoking while wearing official uniforms and talking to the press outside of allocated times. They were the only team to bring a psychologist to the training camp (because the memories of 1950 still affected some players) or a dentist (for, because of their humble origins, many players had dental problems, which caused them infections and also had negative impact on performance), and had sent a representative to Europe to watch the qualifying matches a year before the tournament had begun.

Brazil national team at 1959 Copa America

Brazil were drawn in the toughest group, with England, the USSR and Austria. They beat Austria 3–0 in their first match, then drew 0–0 with England. The Brazilians had been worried about their match with the USSR, who had exceptional fitness and were one of the favourites to win the tournament; their strategy was to take risks at the beginning of the match to try and score an early goal. Before the match, the leaders of the team, Bellini, Nílton Santos, and Didi , spoke to coach Vicente Feola and persuaded him to make three substitutions which were crucial for Brazil to defeat the Soviets and win the Cup: Zito, Garrincha, and Pelé would start playing against the USSR. From the kick off, they passed the ball to Garrincha who beat three players before hitting the post with a shot. They kept up the pressure relentlessly, and after three minutes, which were later described as "the greatest three minutes in the history of football",[18] Vavá gave Brazil the lead. They won the match by 2–0. Pelé scored the only goal of their quarter-final match against Wales, and they beat France 5–2 in the semi-final. Brazil beat the host Sweden, in the final by 5–2, winning their first World Cup and becoming the first nation to win a World Cup title outside of its own continent. A celebrated fact was that Feola would sometimes take naps during training sessions and would sometimes close his eyes during matches, giving the impression that he was asleep. Because of this, Didi was sometimes said to be the real coach of the team, as he commanded the midfield.

In the 1962 FIFA World Cup, Brazil earned its second title with Garrincha as the star player, a mantle and responsibility bestowed upon him after the regular talisman, Pelé, was injured during the first group match against Mexico and unable to play for the rest of the tournament.

In the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the preparation of the team was affected by political influences. All the major Brazilian clubs wanted their players included in the Brazilian team, to give them more exposure. In the final months of preparation to the World Cup, the coach Vicente Feola was working with 46 players, of which only 22 would go to England; this caused lots of internal dispute and psychological pressure on the players and managing staff. The result was that, in 1966, Brazil had their worst performance in all World Cups. Another perhaps bigger issue was that Pelé, who possibly had been at the height of his career at this stage, was chopped off at seemingly every opportunity in the group matches.The 1966 tournament was remembered for its excessive physical play, and Pelé was one of the players affected by such play. After becoming the first player ever to score in three World Cups, with a direct free kick against Bulgaria, he had to rest, due to fatigue, for the match against Hungary, which Brazil lost. He then faced Portugal, and several violent tackles by the Portuguese defenders caused him to leave the match and the tournament. Brazil lost that match and were eliminated in the first round of the World Cup for the first time since 1934. After the tournament, Pelé declared that he did not wish to play in the World Cup again.

Brazil won its third World Cup in Mexico in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Brazil fielded what has since then been considered the best association football squad ever, led by Pelé in his last World Cup final, captain Carlos Alberto Torres, Jairzinho, Tostão, Gérson and Rivelino. After winning the Jules Rimet Trophy for the third time, Brazil were allowed to keep it for good.

Brazil’s results in 1970 were as follows:

Group 3: Brazil 4–1 Czechoslovakia Brazil 1–0 England Brazil 3–2 Romania

Quarter-final: Brazil 4–2 Peru Semi-final: Brazil 3–1 Uruguay Final: Brazil 4–1 Italy

Six games, six wins. Jairzinho was second top scorer with seven goals, Pele finished with four goals. Most importantly, Brazil lifted the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy for the third time, which meant they got to keep it. An incredible achievement that no nation has ever equalled. The dominance of the Brazil teams of 1958 to 1970 are the reason we have a different World Cup trophy today. However, it would be 24 years before Brazil got their hands on the new version.

The dry spell (1970–1994)

After the international retirement of Pelé and other stars from the 1970 squad, the Brazil were not able to overcome Netherlands' Total Football in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. The generation of 1974 could not defend their title, finishing in fourth place, after failing to achieve victory against a strong Polish side.[19]

The 1978 FIFA World Cup was notoriously controversial[citation needed]. In the second group stage, Brazil were competing with tournament host Argentina for top spot and a place in the finals. In their last group match, Brazil defeated Poland 3–1 to go top of the group with a goal difference of +5. Argentina were only on a goal difference of +2, but in their last group match, they managed, controversially[citation needed], to defeat Peru by 6–0 and thus qualify for the final. The Brazilian team were forced to settle for the third place match, where they defeated Italy by 2–1.

In the 1982 FIFA World Cup, the tournament favorites Brazil easily moved through the early part of the draw, but a 3–2 defeat to Italy, in one of the classic games in finals history, eliminated them from the tournament. Paolo Rossi scored all three of Italy's goals. The seleção was defeated in the match they still refer to as the "Sarrias Disaster", a reference to the stadium's name, and manager Telê would be much blamed by the Brazilian media for using an attacking system while a 2–2 draw was enough. The 1982 team, with players like Sócrates, Zico, Falcão and Éder, is best remembered as one of the greatest teams never to win a World Cup.

Telê Santana and several players of 1982 returned to play in the 1986 World Cup hosted by Mexico. The players of 1986 were older but still capable of an enchanting performance. They were troubled, however, by an injury Zico picked up before the World Cup. Incessant questions about whether and when he could play undoubtedly had some negative effect on the team. Brazil met France in the quarter-finals and the match is considered an absolute classic of "total football". Neither side deserved to lose but when Zico finally came on in the second half (with the score 1–1), and Brazil were awarded a penalty late in the game, Brazil seemed set to win. But Zico, the hero of a whole generation of Brazilian football fans, missed the penalty – and after a goalless but thoroughly exciting extra time it all came down to a penalty shoot out. There Zico managed to score from his penalty but Júlio César da Silva and Sócrates missed the goal in their turn, and despite French captain Michel Platini sending his effort over the cross bar, Brazil nevertheless were eliminated 4–3.

In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Brazil was coached by Sebastião Lazaroni, who was hardly known before the Cup. With a defensive scheme, whose main symbol was mid-fielder Dunga, and three full-backs, the team lacked creativity but made it to the second round. Against a weaker Argentine side, the Brazilians applied heavy pressure and had numerous chances to score, but it was Claudio Caniggia who managed to find Brazil's net and eliminate them after a brilliant assist from Maradona.

More to come (1994–2002)

1994 World Cup

Brazil, to the surprise of many, went 24 years without winning a World Cup or even participating in a final. Their struggles ended at the 1994 tournament in the United States, where a solid, if unspectacular side headed by the likes of Romário, Bebeto, Dunga, Taffarel, and Jorginho won the World Cup for a then-record 4th time. Highlights of their campaign included a 1–0 victory over the host in the round of 16, a sensational 3–2 win over the Dutch in the quarter-finals (often cited as the game of the tournament) and a 1–0 win over the Swedes in the semis. This set up a classic confrontation, Brazil vs. Italy, in the final. After a dour and unexciting 0–0 draw, penalty kicks loomed, and when Roberto Baggio lifted his spot kick over the crossbar, Brazil were champions once again. A new era of dominance had begun.

1998 World Cup

Brazil finished runner-up in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After a very respectable campaign during which they beat Netherlands on penalties in the semi-final following a 1–1 draw with goals from Ronaldo and Patrick Kluivert, the team lost to host France 3–0 in a final game. Brazilian marking at defensive set pieces was poor, and Zinédine Zidane was able to score two headed goals from France's corner kicks. Also, Brazilian star Ronaldo suffered an epileptic seizure a few hours before the match. Many criticized the decision to reinstate Ronaldo into the starting lineup as he put on a poor performance.

2002 World Cup

Fuelled by the scintillating play of the "Three R's" (Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho), Brazil won its fifth championship at the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. The groupings appeared at first glance to favor Brazilian team; their adversaries would be Turkey, China and Costa Rica. In the end, a stronger than expected Turkey finished the tournament in third place. Brazil went on to beat all three opponents, scoring 11 goals and conceding only three, and topping the group.

In Brazil's opening game against Turkey, Rivaldo fell to the ground clutching his face after Turkey's Hakan Ünsal had kicked the ball at his legs. Hakan Ünsal, who had already been booked, was sent off while Rivaldo jumped to his feet and continued playing. Rivaldo escaped suspension but was fined £5,180 for play-acting. He became the first player ever ,to be punished in FIFA's crackdown on "simulation" and "diving." They followed with a 4–0 win over China and a 5–2 win over Costa Rica.

Next, Brazil defeated Belgium 2–0, in the round-of-16. Against England in the quarter finals, Brazil won 2–1. Ronaldinho scored the winner with a remarkable lofted free kick and also assisted teammate Rivaldo for their first goal, but was sent off for stamping on the right ankle of England's Danny Mills. The semifinal was against Turkey, which Brazil had faced in their group. Again, this match was difficult, as Brazil won 1–0 with a goal by Ronaldo. Rivaldo had scored one goal in all five games up to this one but did not manage to hit the target in the sixth. He had seemed all set to repeat Jairzinho´s great achievement in 1970 when he scored in every game of the World Cup.

The final was between two of the most successful teams in the competition's history: Germany and Brazil. Incredibly, the teams had never played each other in the World Cup before, besides a match between Brazil and East Germany in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn had been the tournament's best keeper, but was not able to maintain his post unscathed in this match, as Ronaldo vanquished his France '98 demons by scoring both goals in the Brazilian 2–0 triumph.[20] Ronaldo also won the Golden Shoe as the tournament's leading scorer, though Kahn won the Golden Ball as the most outstanding player.

Parreira returns (2002–2006)

On June 29, 2005, Brazil won the Confederations Cup for the second time with an emphatic 4–1 victory over arch-rivals Argentina in Frankfurt, Germany.[21] They also won another championship, the 2004 Copa América in which Brazil defeated Argentina in a penalty shootout.[22]

2006 World Cup

Main article: Brazil at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Brazilian's coach Carlos Alberto Parreira presented a formation nicknamed "The Magic Square" by the Brazilian sport journalists, based in 4 offensive players: Ronaldo, Adriano, Kaká, and Ronaldinho.

During the preparation stages, the team presented some problems. The team's greatest star Ronaldo had got a bad build-up, after returning from a two-month injury recovery. He also had blisters on his feet and a fever during the training matches.[23]

Despite winning the first 2 games against Croatia (1–0) and Australia (2–0), the "Magic Square" didn't seem to work as expected and struggled to beat the opponents' defense. In the third game, manager Parreira tried a new squad with five former reserve players, including Robinho, and Cicinho. The changes were successful, as the team put on a comfortable 4–1 win against Japan.

The Brazilian squad preparing for the World Cup in Weggis, Switzerland.

During the second round, they defeated Ghana 3–0, with the Magic Square again this time. However, Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals against France by a score of 1–0. France was led by a rejuvenated Zinédine Zidane and by a strong defence which kept the Brazilian strikers under check for the duration of the game. Perhaps partially due to their uncommon formation, Brazil was shut out, attempting just one shot at French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. The game was also notable for being the first time that the Brazil team had been shut out in 3 consecutive matches against France, now has a 2–1–1 all-time record in 1986, 1998 and 2006 in World Cup matches.

After elimination to France, the Brazil team was largely criticized by the press and the fans. The media circulated images of the left wingback Roberto Carlos tying his shoes while Henry ran unmarked to score the winning goal. The sporting legend Pelé blamed coach Parreira and Ronaldinho for the team's early elimination.[24]

Dunga period (2006–2010)

1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga was hired as Brazil's new team manager on July 24, 2006, almost right after the World Cup was over.[25] Dunga's former teammate, Jorginho, was hired as his assistant. His first match in charge was against Norway which was played in Oslo on August 16, 2006, ended in a 1–1 draw.[26] His second match was held against Argentina on September 3 in Arsenal's brand new Emirates Stadium in London, in which Brazil defeated Argentina by a 3–0 score.[27] On September 5, they won over Wales by 2–0 at Tottenham Hotspur's White Hart Lane ground. They later defeated Kuwait club Al-Kuwait by 4–0, Ecuador by 2–1, and had a 2–1 away win against Switzerland.

Dunga's first defeat as Brazil's manager was on February 6, 2007 in a friendly match against Portugal, which at that time was coached by former Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.[28] Respectively on March 24 and March 27, 2007, Brazil bounced back from their first defeat under Dunga with wins in friendly matches against Chile (4–0) and Ghana (1–0) in Sweden.[29]

Unlike Parreira, Dunga has focused on the task of deemphasizing all players and treating them as equals. He did not just look for players in popular clubs such as Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, etc., but looked at the whole scope of Europe, finding individual talents such as Vágner Love and Dudu Cearense who were playing for Russian club CSKA Moscow and Elano who was playing for Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. Of the four players who were dubbed as the 'Magic Quartet', Ronaldinho and Kaká were the only players who had a regular place in the Brazil squad. Adriano was called back in the squad for a friendly against Portugal in February 2007, which Brazil lost 0–2. Dunga did not select the last member of the Magic Quartet, Ronaldo. Instead, Luís Fabiano has made the majority of appearances at striker.

2007 Copa América

Brazil participated in the 2007 Copa América which was hosted by Venezuela. They were placed in Group B with Mexico, Ecuador, and Chile. Brazil surprisingly lost to Mexico 2–0 in their opening match, then bounced back with a comfortable 3–0 victory over Chile with three goals from Robinho, and won 1–0 against Ecuador, Robinho scoring on a penalty kick. They advanced to the quarter-finals, where they defeated Chile again 6–1. The semi-final was against Uruguay, after a 2–2 draw, Brazil won 5–4 on penalties. Their opponent in the final was Argentina, which were the favorites to win, having won all their matches on the way to the final. However Brazil scored early in the 4th minute when Júlio Baptista scored, and then in the 45th minute, defender Roberto Ayala scored on an own goal. Later in the second half, in the 69th minute, substitute Dani Alves scored Brazil's third goal, as the scoreline became 3–0. After the tournament, Robinho was awarded the Golden Boot in addition to being named the best player in the tournament.

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup

The Brazilian team won the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Although they started with a shaky 4–3 victory over Egypt scoring a last minute penalty, having led 3–1 at half-time only for Egypt to pull level with two quick goals at the start of the second half. Egypt is also credited as the only African team to score three goals against Brazil. Brazil comfortably beat the USA, as well as Italy, both with a 3–0 scoreline. After beating South Africa in the semi-final with a late free kick, they went on to a rematch against USA in the final which they won 3–2, after coming in 2–0 down at half-time, to seal their third Confederations Cup title.[30] Kaká was named as the player of the tournament and Luís Fabiano won the top goalscorer award with five goals in five matches.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

After a 3–1 victory over Argentina in Rosario, on September 5, 2009, Brazil qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[31] Brazil topped the CONMEBOL qualification with 9 wins, 7 draws and 2 losses. The 2 losses came during the away match to Bolivia and Paraguay. Brazil also went undefeated at home during the qualification.

2010 FIFA World Cup

The Brazilian and North Korean teams in 2010.

On December 4, Brazil was drawn into Group G, dubbed as the Group of Death. The Seleção played their first match against Korea DPR on June 15, 2010 and won 2–1. On June 20, Brazil played their second match against Côte d'Ivoire and won 3–1, qualifying for the next round. Their last match against Portugal ended in a 0–0 draw. They faced Chile in the Round of Last 16. Juan, Luís Fabiano and Robinho scored the three goals goals to give Brazil a 3–0 win. In the quarterfinals they lost to the Netherlands 2–1 despite gaining an early lead.

After the 2010 World Cup (2010–)

On July 24, 2010, Mano Menezes was named as the new Brazil coach, replacing Dunga, whose contract was not renewed following Brazil's World Cup campaign.[32]

On July 26, 2010, Menezes announced his first 24 man squad, including 10 debutants. Only four players from the 2010 FIFA World Cup team were named in the squad (Robinho, Daniel Alves, Ramires and Thiago Silva.) Players included in that squad but left out of the 23-man in the World Cup included Alexandre Pato of Milan, Lucas Leiva of Liverpool and Marcelo of Real Madrid. Menezes' first match was a 2–0 win over the United States. Neymar scored on his debut for the national team, and also won the man of the match award.

Games of the Brazil national team coached by Mano Menezes

# Date Venue Opponent Result Win/Loss/Draw Goalscorer(s) Captain Competition
2010
1 August 10, 2010 New Jersey, United States  United States 2–0 W Neymar, Alexandre Pato Robinho Friendly
September 7, 2010 Sant Joan Despí, Spain Spain Barcelona B 3–0 W Lucas Leiva, Alexandre Pato, Fernandinho Robinho Unofficial friendly
2 October 7, 2010 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  Iran 3–0 W Daniel Alves, Alexandre Pato, Nilmar Robinho Friendly
3 October 11, 2010 Derby, England  Ukraine 2–0 W Daniel Alves, Alexandre Pato Robinho Friendly
4 November 17, 2010 Doha, Qatar  Argentina 0–1 L Robinho Friendly
2011
5 February 9, 2011 Saint-Denis, France  France 0–1 L Robinho Friendly
6 March 27, 2011 London, England  Scotland 2–0 W Neymar (2) Lúcio Friendly
7 June 4, 2011 Goiânia, Brazil  Netherlands 0–0 D Lúcio Friendly
8 June 7, 2011 São Paulo, Brazil  Romania 1–0 W Fred Lúcio Friendly
9 July 3, 2011 La Plata, Argentina  Venezuela 0–0 D Lúcio 2011 Copa América
10 July 9, 2011 Córdoba, Argentina  Paraguay 2–2 D Jádson , Fred Lúcio 2011 Copa América
11 July 13, 2011 Córdoba, Argentina  Ecuador 2011 Copa América
12 August 10, 2011 Stuttgart, Germany  Germany Friendly
13 September 2, 2011 Barcelona, Spain  Spain Friendly

Olympics

Main article: Brazil Olympic football team

The Olympic football tournament is the only international competition in football organized by FIFA that Brazil has never won, although they have won two silver medals (1984 and 1988) and two bronze medals (1996, 2008).[33] The Brazilian Olympic team is often coached by the current national team coach, such as Mario Zagallo in 1996 and Dunga in 2008.

Nicknames

The Brazilian national team has many nicknames and are known in different parts of the world by various nicknames. The most common one used to refer to them, especially in Brazil, is seleção, which literally means the selection. Brazilians call any national team from any country or sport a seleção and because of this it has become common for the national team to be referred to as the Seleção Brasileira or, more specifically in the case of the national football team, the Seleção Brasileira de Futebol.[34] Although the Brazilian media have popularized seleção, other nicknames for the squad in Brazil include Canarinho, meaning "Little Canary", a phrase that was popularized by the late cartoonist Fernando Pieruccetti during the 1950 World Cup.[35] Other names like Amarelinha, "Little Yellow One", Verde-amarelo, or "Green-Yellow", Pentacampeão, "Five-time Champions",[36] Esquadrão de Ouro (the Golden Squad), some latin american commentators often refer to the Brazil National team El Scratch (The Scratch)[37], among others.

Venues

Brazil does not have a home national stadium like many other national teams and as such rotate their home World Cup qualifying matches through various venues: the Estádio do Maracanã or Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, the Estádio do Morumbi or Estádio do Pacaembu in São Paulo, the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, the Estádio Mané Garrincha in the capital Brasília and the Estádio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre. Some smaller provincial stadia were used in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Since September 2006, Brazil have played many international friendlies at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London. After their initial 3–0 win over Argentina drew a near sell-out attendance and was screened live on BBC Two, Brazil have returned to the ground regularly, facing Wales, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Republic of Ireland and most recently against Scotland.

Kit evolution

Brazil's first team colours were white with blue collars, but following defeat in the Maracanã at the 1950 World Cup, the colours were criticised for lacking patriotism. With permission from the Brazilian Sports Confederation, the newspaper Correio da Manhã held a competition to design a kit incorporating the four colours of the Brazilian flag.[38] The winning design was a yellow jersey with green trim and blue shorts with white trim drawn by Aldyr Garcia Schlee, a nineteen year old from Pelotas.[39] The new colours were first used in March 1954 in a match against Chile, and have been used ever since.

The use of blue as the away kit colour dates from the 30s, but it became the permanent second choice accidentally in the 1958 World Cup final. Brazil's opponents were Sweden, who also wear yellow, and a draw gave to the home team Sweden the right to play in yellow. Brazil, who travelled with no spare kit, hurriedly purchased a set of blue shirts and sewed on emblems cut from their yellow shirts.[40]

1914–1917
1917
1917
1917
1918–1919
1919–1938
1938–1948 (away)
1945–1949
1949–1953
1953–present
1958 (away)
1962–2009 (away)
2010 (away)

Competitive record

Main article: Brazil national football team competitive record

Brazil have never failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and, with 5 titles, have won the cup on more occasions than any other nation.

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Group stage 6th 2 1 0 1 5 2 – – – – – –
Italy 1934 First round 14th 1 0 0 1 1 3 – – – – – –
France 1938 Third place 3rd 5 3 1 1 14 11 – – – – – –
Brazil 1950 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 22 6 – – – – – –
Switzerland 1954 Quarter-final 5th 3 1 1 1 8 5 4 4 0 0 8 1
Sweden 1958 Champions 1st 6 5 1 0 16 4 2 1 1 0 2 1
Chile 1962 Champions 1st 6 5 1 0 14 5 – – – – – –
England 1966 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 4 6 – – – – – –
Mexico 1970 Champions 1st 6 6 0 0 19 7 6 6 0 0 23 2
West Germany 1974 Fourth place 4th 7 3 2 2 6 4 – – – – – –
Argentina 1978 Third place 3rd 7 4 3 0 10 3 6 4 2 0 17 1
Spain 1982 Second group stage 5th 5 4 0 1 15 6 4 4 0 0 11 2
Mexico 1986 Quarter-final 5th 5 4 1 0 10 1 4 2 2 0 6 2
Italy 1990 Round of 16 9th 4 3 0 1 4 2 4 3 1 0 13 1
United States 1994 Champions 1st 7 5 2 0 11 3 8 5 2 1 20 4
France 1998 Runners-up 2nd 7 4 1 2 14 10 – – – – – –
South Korea Japan 2002 Champions 1st 7 7 0 0 18 4 18 9 3 6 31 17
Germany 2006 Quarter-final 5th 5 4 0 1 10 2 18 9 7 2 35 17
South Africa 2010 Quarter-final 6th 5 3 1 1 9 4 18 9 7 2 33 11
Brazil 2014 Qualified as host – – – – – –
Total 5 Titles 20/20 97 67 15 15 210 88 90 54 25 11 190 59
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.
***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Coaching staff

Head coach Brazil Mano Menezes
Assistant coach Brazil Sidnei Lobo
2nd assistant coach Brazil Rafael Vieira
Goalkeeper coach Brazil Francisco Cersósimo
Fitness Coach Brazil Carlinhos Neves
Physiotherapists Brazil Odir de Souza

Players

Current squad

The following 23 players were called for the 2011 Copa América in Argentina between July 1 and 24.[41]

Caps and goals as of July 9, 2011 including the match against Paraguay.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Júlio César (1979-09-03) September 3, 1979 (age 44) 58 0 Italy Internazionale
12 1GK Victor (1983-01-21) January 21, 1983 (age 41) 5 0 Brazil Grêmio
22 1GK Jefferson (1983-07-30) July 30, 1983 (age 40) 0 0 Brazil Botafogo
2 2DF Daniel Alves (1983-05-06) May 6, 1983 (age 41) 49 5 Spain Barcelona
3 2DF Lúcio (1978-05-08) May 8, 1978 (age 46) 101 4 Italy Internazionale
4 2DF Thiago Silva (1984-09-22) September 22, 1984 (age 39) 16 0 Italy Milan
6 2DF André Santos (1983-03-08) March 8, 1983 (age 41) 19 0 Turkey Fenerbahçe
13 2DF Maicon (1981-07-26) July 26, 1981 (age 42) 64 6 Italy Internazionale
14 2DF Luisão (1981-02-13) February 13, 1981 (age 43) 43 3 Portugal Benfica
21 2DF Adriano Correia (1984-10-26) October 26, 1984 (age 39) 10 0 Spain Barcelona
23 2DF David Luiz (1987-04-22) April 22, 1987 (age 37) 6 0 England Chelsea
5 3MF Lucas Leiva (1987-01-09) January 9, 1987 (age 37) 14 0 England Liverpool
8 3MF Ramires (1987-03-24) March 24, 1987 (age 37) 24 2 England Chelsea
10 3MF Ganso (1989-10-12) October 12, 1989 (age 34) 3 0 Brazil Santos
15 3MF Sandro (1989-03-15) March 15, 1989 (age 35) 7 0 England Tottenham Hotspur
16 3MF Elano (1981-06-14) June 14, 1981 (age 42) 49 9 Brazil Santos
17 3MF Elias (1985-05-16) May 16, 1985 (age 39) 7 0 Spain Atlético Madrid
18 3MF Lucas Moura (1992-08-13) August 13, 1992 (age 31) 5 0 Brazil São Paulo
20 3MF Jádson (1983-10-22) October 22, 1983 (age 40) 4 1 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk
7 4FW Robinho (1984-01-25) January 25, 1984 (age 40) 87 25 Italy Milan
9 4FW Alexandre Pato (1989-09-02) September 2, 1989 (age 34) 14 4 Italy Milan
11 4FW Neymar (1992-02-05) February 5, 1992 (age 32) 7 3 Brazil Santos
19 4FW Fred (1983-10-03) October 3, 1983 (age 40) 13 6 Brazil Fluminense

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the Brazil squad in the past 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Fábio (1980-09-30) September 30, 1980 (age 43) 0 0 Brazil Cruzeiro 2011 Copa América (preliminary squad)
GK Heurelho Gomes (1981-02-15) February 15, 1981 (age 43) 11 0 England Tottenham Hotspur v.  France, February 9, 2011
GK Neto (1989-07-19) July 19, 1989 (age 34) 0 0 Italy Fiorentina v.  France, February 9, 2011
GK Diego Alves (1985-06-24) June 24, 1985 (age 38) 0 0 Spain Valencia v. Spain Barcelona B, September 7, 2010
GK Gabriel (1992-09-27) September 27, 1992 (age 31) 0 0 Brazil Cruzeiro v. Spain Barcelona B, September 7, 2010
GK Renan (1990-12-12) December 12, 1990 (age 33) 0 0 Brazil Corinthians v.  United States, August 10, 2010
DF Marcelo (1988-05-12) May 12, 1988 (age 36) 6 1 Spain Real Madrid v.  Scotland, March 27, 2011 (withdrew due to injury)
DF Breno (1989-10-13) October 13, 1989 (age 34) 0 0 Germany Bayern Munich v.  France, February 9, 2011
DF Rafael (1990-07-09) July 9, 1990 (age 33) 0 0 England Manchester United v.  France, February 9, 2011
DF Alex (1982-06-17) June 17, 1982 (age 41) 17 0 England Chelsea v.  Argentina, November 17, 2010
DF Réver (1985-01-04) January 4, 1985 (age 39) 1 0 Brazil Atlético Mineiro v.  Argentina, November 17, 2010
DF Mariano (1986-06-23) June 23, 1986 (age 37) 0 0 Brazil Fluminense v.  Ukraine, October 11, 2010
DF Henrique (1986-10-14) October 14, 1986 (age 37) 1 0 Spain Racing Santander v. Spain Barcelona B, September 7, 2010
MF Anderson (1988-04-13) April 13, 1988 (age 36) 8 0 England Manchester United 2011 Copa América (preliminary squad)
MF Henrique (1985-05-16) May 16, 1985 (age 39) 0 0 Brazil Cruzeiro 2011 Copa América (preliminary squad)
MF Thiago Neves (1985-02-27) February 27, 1985 (age 39) 2 0 Brazil Flamengo 2011 Copa América (preliminary squad)
MF Renato Augusto (1988-02-08) February 8, 1988 (age 36) 2 0 Germany Bayer Leverkusen v.  Scotland, March 27, 2011
MF Hernanes (1985-05-29) May 29, 1985 (age 38) 3 0 Italy Lazio v.  France, February 9, 2011
MF Ronaldinho (1980-03-21) March 21, 1980 (age 44) 88 32 Brazil Flamengo v.  Argentina, November 17, 2010
MF Jucilei (1988-04-06) April 6, 1988 (age 36) 2 0 Russia Anzhi Makhachkala v.  Argentina, November 17, 2010
MF Douglas (1982-02-18) February 18, 1982 (age 42) 1 0 Brazil Grêmio v.  Argentina, November 17, 2010
MF Philippe Coutinho (1992-06-12) June 12, 1992 (age 31) 1 0 Italy Internazionale v.  Argentina, November 17, 2010
MF Carlos Eduardo (1987-07-18) July 18, 1987 (age 36) 6 0 Russia Rubin Kazan v.  Ukraine, October 11, 2010
MF Giuliano (1990-05-31) May 31, 1990 (age 33) 2 0 Ukraine Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk v.  Ukraine, October 11, 2010
MF Wesley (1987-06-24) June 24, 1987 (age 36) 2 0 Germany Werder Bremen v.  Ukraine, October 11, 2010
MF Douglas Costa (1990-09-14) September 14, 1990 (age 33) 0 0 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk v. Spain Barcelona B, September 7, 2010
MF Fernandinho (1985-05-04) May 4, 1985 (age 39) 0 0 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk v. Spain Barcelona B, September 7, 2010
MF Ederson (1986-01-13) January 13, 1986 (age 38) 1 0 France Lyon v.  United States, August 10, 2010
FW Leandro Damião (1989-07-22) July 22, 1989 (age 34) 2 0 Brazil Internacional 2011 Copa América (preliminary squad)
FW Nilmar (1984-07-14) July 14, 1984 (age 39) 24 9 Spain Villarreal 2011 Copa América (preliminary squad)
FW Ronaldo (1976-09-18) September 18, 1976 (age 47) 98 62 Retired v.  Romania, June 7, 2011
FW Jonas (1984-04-01) April 1, 1984 (age 40) 1 0 Spain Valencia v.  Scotland, March 27, 2011
FW André (1990-09-27) September 27, 1990 (age 33) 4 0 France Bordeaux v.  France, February 9, 2011
FW Hulk (1986-07-25) July 25, 1986 (age 37) 3 0 Portugal Porto v.  France, February 9, 2011
FW Diego Tardelli (1985-05-10) May 10, 1985 (age 39) 5 0 Russia Anzhi Makhachkala v.  United States, August 10, 2010

Most capped players

As of 8 June 2011[2]
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.
# Name Caps Goals First cap Latest cap
1 Cafu 142 5 September 12, 1990 July 1, 2006
2 Roberto Carlos 125 11 February 26, 1992 July 1, 2006
3 Cláudio Taffarel 101 0 July 7, 1988 July 12, 1998
Lúcio 101 4 November 15, 2000 July 9, 2011
5 Djalma Santos 98 3 April 10, 1952 June 9, 1968
Ronaldo 98 62 March 23, 1994 June 7, 2011
7 Gilmar 94 0 March 1, 1953 June 12, 1969
8 Gilberto Silva 93 3 November 7, 2001 July 2, 2010
9 Pelé 92 77 July 7, 1957 July 18, 1971
Rivelino 92 26 November 16, 1965 June 24, 1978
11 Dunga 91 6 May 19, 1987 July 12, 1998
Dida 91 0 July 7, 1995 July 1, 2006
13 Ronaldinho 88 32 June 26, 1999 November 17, 2010
14 Robinho 87 25 July 13, 2003 July 4, 2011
15 Zé Roberto 84 6 August 12, 1995 July 1, 2006
16 Kaká 82 27 January 31, 2002 July 2, 2010
17 Jairzinho 81 33 June 7, 1964 March 3, 1982
Aldair 81 3 March 15, 1989 June 28, 2000
19 Émerson Leão 80 0 March 8, 1970 April 30, 1986
20 Juan 79 7 July 15, 2001 July 2, 2010

Top goalscorers

As of 8 June 2011[2]
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.
# Name Goals Caps First cap Latest cap
1 Pelé 77 92 July 7, 1957 July 18, 1971
2 Ronaldo 62 98 March 23, 1994 June 7, 2011
3 Romário 55 70 May 23, 1987 April 27, 2005
4 Zico 52 72 February 25, 1976 June 21, 1986
5 Bebeto 39 75 April 28, 1985 July 12, 1998
6 Rivaldo 34 74 December 16, 1993 November 19, 2003
7 Jairzinho 33 81 June 7, 1964 March 3, 1982
8 Ademir 32 39 January 21, 1945 March 15, 1953
Tostão 32 54 May 15, 1966 July 9, 1972
Ronaldinho 32 88 June 26, 1999 November 17, 2010
11 Zizinho 30 53 January 1, 1942 April 3, 1957
12 Careca 29 60 March 21, 1982 August 1, 1993
13 Luís Fabiano 28 43 June 11, 2003 July 2, 2010
14 Adriano 27 48 November 15, 2000 March 2, 2010
Kaká 27 82 January 31, 2002 July 2, 2010
16 Rivelino 26 92 November 16, 1965 June 24, 1978
17 Robinho 25 87 July 13, 2003 July 4, 2011
18 Jair 22 39 March 5, 1940 July 16, 1950
Sócrates 22 60 May 17, 1979 June 21, 1986
20 Leônidas 21 19 December 4, 1932 January 29, 1946

IFFHS Player of the 20th Century

Below are the results of a poll by IFFHS for the best Brazilian player of the 20th century.[42]

# Name Career Votes
1 Pelé 1957–1971 220
2 Garrincha 1955–1966 142
3 Zico 1971–1989 51
4 Zizinho 1942–1957 40
5 Arthur Friedenreich 1912–1935 21
6 Tostão 1966–1972 21
7 Didi 1952–1962 17
8 Leônidas 1932–1946 13
9 Nílton Santos 1949–1962 12
10 Ronaldo 1994–2011 12
11 Romário 1987–2005 11
12 Falcão 1976–1986 10
13 Rivelino 1965–1978 10
14 Ademir da Guia 1965–1974 9
15 Luís Pereira 1973–1977 7
16 Carlos Alberto Torres 1964–1977 5
17 Domingos da Guia 1931–1946 4
18 Ademir 1945–1953 3
19 Bebeto 1985–1998 2
20 Jairzinho 1963–1982 2

Brazilian Football Museum – Hall of Fame

The following Brazilians players have been inducted into the Pacaembu Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.[43]

   

Previous squads

World Cup

  

Copa America

Confederations Cup

  

Gold Cup

Olympic Games

Managers

World Cup winning coaches in bold.

   

Honours

File:Copabra.jpg
Brazil is the most successful team in World Cup history.

Senior team

Official titles

Friendly titles

  • Copa Roca:
    • Winners (8): 1914, 1922, 1945, 1957, 1960, 1963, 1971, 1976[44]

Olympic team

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Marcos Evangelista de Morais "CAFU" – Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. July 23, 2006. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d "Brazil – Record International Players". RSSSF. November 7, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
  3. ^ "Argentina versus Brazil". FIFA.com. Retrieved January 5, 2009. [dead link]
  4. ^ Napoleão, Antônio Carlos; Assaf, Roberto (2006). Seleção Brasileira 1914–2006. São Paulo: Mauad X. p. 72. ISBN 85-7478-186-X.
  5. ^ "The birth of a revolution". FIFA.com. July 1, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2009. [dead link]
  6. ^ http://www.setelagoas.com.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=900:futebol-brasil-x-italia-em-2009&catid=27:futebol&Itemid=5
  7. ^ a b Dart, Tom (May 31, 2004). "Magic of Brazil comes to a corner of Devon". London: The Times. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Bellos, Alex (May 31, 2004). "Grecians paved way despite kick in teeth". London os: The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  9. ^ Bellos, Alex (2002). Futebol: the Brazilian way of life. London: Bloomsbury. p. 37. ISBN 0-7475-6179-6.
  10. ^ "Exeter fix dream date against Brazil". London: The Daily Telegraph. April 23, 2004. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  11. ^ Demetriou, Danielle (May 31, 2004). "Brazil's past masters out-samba Exeter in 90-year rematch". London: The Independent. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  12. ^ "Briga de paulistas e cariocas enfraquece Brasil" (in Portuguese). Universo Online. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
  13. ^ "Outra vez dividida, seleção repete fiasco" (in Portuguese). Universo Online. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
  14. ^ "World Cup 1930". RSSSF. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
  15. ^ "World Cup 1934 finals". RSSSF. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
  16. ^ Bellos, Alex (2003). Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ "World Cup and U.S. soccer history: 1950–1970". USA Today. May 9, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  18. ^ Garrincha 122.
  19. ^ "Brazil not too comfortable as World Cup favorite". USA Today. May 23, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  20. ^ "Brazil crowned world champions". BBC Sport. June 30, 2002. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  21. ^ "Brazil 4–1 Argentina: Adriano stars". ESPNsoccernet. June 29, 2005. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  22. ^ "Brazil 2–2 Argentina: Shoot-out drama". ESPNsoccernet. July 26, 2004. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  23. ^ Bellos, Alex (June 15, 2006). "One more bad game and Ronaldo's tournament is over". London os: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved August 1, 2009. {{cite news}}: line feed character in |location= at position 7 (help)
  24. ^ "Pelé culpa Ronaldinho e Parreira por eliminação precoce" (in Portuguese). Terra Esportes. July 4, 2006. Retrieved July 4, 2006.
  25. ^ "Dunga completa dois anos na seleção garantindo ser um desafio ganhar o ouro" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. July 24, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  26. ^ "Na estréia de Dunga, Brasil empata com Noruega" (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. August 16, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  27. ^ "Dunga fica surpreso com atuação do Brasil contra Argentina" (in Portuguese). UOL. September 3, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  28. ^ "Portugal impõe a Dunga sua primeira derrota à frente da seleção" (in Portuguese). Universo Online. February 6, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  29. ^ "Seleção Brasileira embarca para Frankfurt" (in Portuguese). Terra. March 28, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  30. ^ "USA 2–3 Brazil". BBC Sport. June 28, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
  31. ^ "Brazil ensure qualification, Argentina in distress". ESPN. September 5, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  32. ^ "Brazil name Dunga's replacement as they rebuild for the next World Cup". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Press Association. July 24, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  33. ^ a b Since 1992, squads for Football at the Summer Olympics have been restricted to three players over the age of 23. The achievements of such teams are not usually included in the statistics of the international team.
  34. ^ "Use of Seleção and Canarinho". FIFA. Archived from the original on September 4, 2006. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
  35. ^ "Fernando Pieruccetti creates the Canarinhos". Terra. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
  36. ^ "Reference to Pentacampeão". BBC Brasil. Retrieved October 6, 2006.
  37. ^ ["http://www.oocities.org/gszahn/tactics.html "Referance to the Scratch"]. Guilherme Soares. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  38. ^ Futebol, p64
  39. ^ Ibid
  40. ^ Futebol, p67
  41. ^ "De 1 a 23, a numeração da Copa América". Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  42. ^ "Brazil – Player of the Century". RSSSF. January 30, 2000. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  43. ^ "Anjos Barrocos" (in Portuguese). Museu do Futebol. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  44. ^ "Sala de Troféus da CBF" (in Portuguese). Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF). Retrieved January 5, 2009.

References

  • Ruy Castro, Andrew Downie (translator) (2005). Garrincha – The triumph and tragedy of Brazil's forgotten footballing hero. Yellow Jersey Press, London. ISBN 0-224-06433-9. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brazil_national_football_team&oldid=438792141"