Brazil national football team

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Brazil
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Samba Stars
A Seleção (The Selection/National Team)
Canarinho (Little Canary)
Os "Verdes Amarelos"(The Greens and Yellows)
Association Confederação Brasileira de Futebol
(Brazilian Football Confederation)
Confederation CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach Flag of Brazil Dunga (2006 - )
Captain Lucio
Most caps Cafu (156)
Top scorer Pelé (77)
FIFA code BRA
FIFA ranking 2
Highest FIFA ranking 1 (September 1993)
Lowest FIFA ranking 8 (August 1993)
Elo ranking 1
Highest Elo ranking 1 (March 1953)
Lowest Elo ranking 18 (November 2001)
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
First kit
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Second kit
First international
Flag of Argentina Argentina 3 - 0 Brazil Flag of Brazil
(Buenos Aires, Argentina; September 20, 1914)[1]
Biggest win
Flag of Brazil Brazil 14 - 0 Nicaragua Flag of Nicaragua
(Mexico; October 17, 1975)
Biggest defeat
Flag of Uruguay Uruguay 6 - 0 Brazil Flag of Brazil
(Viña del Mar, Chile; 18 September 1920)
World Cup
Appearances 18 (First in 1930)
Best result Winners, 1958, 1962, 1970,
1994, 2002
Copa América
Appearances 31 (First in 1916)
Best result Winners, 1919, 1922, 1949,
1989, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007
Confederations Cup
Appearances 5 (First in 1997)
Best result Winners, 1997, 2005

The Brazil national football team is managed by the CBF and represents Brazil in international football competitions. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). A common quip about football is: "The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it." [2] Currently ranked number two by FIFA, Brazil is consistently among the strongest football nations in the world and is the only team to have played in every World Cup and won at least once in every tournament organized by FIFA.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early history

The first match of the Brazil national football team is generally considered to be a 1914 match between a Rio and São Paulo select team and the English club Exeter City F.C., which the Brazilian team won 2–0.[3] In contrast to future successes, the nation's early appearances were far from brilliant, partly due to internal strife within Brazilian football 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.
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. In both the 1930 and 1934 tournaments, Brazil were knocked out at the very first stage. But 1938 was a sign of things to come, as Brazil finished a strong third, with Leonidas da Silva finishing 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 the tournament to date (not counting the upcoming 2014 tournament). The 1950 tournament was unique in not having a single final, but rather a final round-robin stage of four teams; however, to all intents and purposes the deciding game 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 1-0 up; this match has since been known in South America as "Maracanazo". In Brazil it is called "Final Fatídica" ("fateful final").[4]

For the 1954 FIFA World Cup, in Switzerland, the Brazilian team was 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.

[edit] The Golden Era and Pele (1958 to 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 clothing and talking to the press outside of allocated times. They were the only team to bring a psychologist (because the memories of 1951 still affected some players) or a dentist (for, because of their humble origins, many players had dental problems, which caused infections and also had negative impact on performance) with them, and had sent a representative to Europe to watch the qualifying matches a year before the tournament began.

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",[5] Vavá gave Brazil the lead. They won the match 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 hosts Sweden, in the final 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 mid-field.

In the 1962 FIFA World Cup, Brazil got its second title with Garrincha as the star player; a mantle and responsibility bestowed upon him after 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, 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. The result was that, in 1966, Brazil had their worst performance in all World Cups. Of course, another perhaps bigger issue, was that Pelé (who may have been at the height of his career) was chopped at seemingly every opportunity in the group matches.

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

[edit] 1974–1990

After the international retirement of Pelé and other stars, Brazil were not able to overcome Netherlands' Total Football and could not defend its title in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, finishing in fourth place.

The 1978 FIFA World Cup was notoriously controversial. In the second group stage Brazil were competing with tournament hosts 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 to defeat Peru 6-0 and thus qualify for the final. Brazil were forced to settle for the third place match, where they defeated Italy 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 Telê would be much blamed for using an attacking system while a 2-2 draw was enough. The 1982 squad is remembered as one of the greatest teams to be eliminated from the World Cup. After Brazil's quarter-final defeat in the 2006 World Cup, captain Cafu compared his squad to the 1982 team.

In 1986, Telê and several players of 1982 returned to play in the World Cup hosted by Mexico. The players 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, and Brazil was out. Memories of the afternoon at Sarria's came back to haunt the crowd.

In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Brazil was coached by Sebastião Lazaroni, who was hardly known before the Cup and became even more anonymous afterwards. 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 Argentinian 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.

[edit] More successes (1994–2002)

Only in the 24 years after winning the World Cup in Mexico, were they able to win another title. The struggles ended in World Cup USA with a final against 1970 opponents Italy. A dour and defensive final finished 0–0 after extra time, so Brazil and Italy competed in the first penalty kick decison for a World Cup in the history of the tournament, and Brazil won when Roberto Baggio missed the final penalty. Romario was acknowledged as the most important player of this Cup who lead Brazil to a record fourth World Cup title, scoring five goals including the game-winning header against Sweden in the semifinals. The Brazilians refer to this cup as the Cup that Romário won for Brazil.

[edit] World Cup 1998

Brazil finished as runner-up in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After a very respectable campaign, the team lost to hosts France 3-0 in a problematic final game. Brazilian marking at defensive set pieces was poor, and Zinedine Zidane was able to score two headed goals from France's corner kicks. Also, Brazilian star Ronaldo suffered a nervous breakdown or an epileptic seizure a few hours before the match. Many criticized the decision to reinstate Ronaldo into the starting lineup as he put in a poor performance. The coach of the team at the time was Mário Zagallo, who won the World Cup as a player in 1958 and 1962, as the coach in 1970 and as assistant coach in 1994.

[edit] World Cup 2002

Fuelled by the scintillating play of the "Three R's" (Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho), Brazil won its fifth championship at the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. When the groups were drawn, Brazil seemed to have been lucky; Brazil's adversaries would be Turkey, China and Costa Rica. At the end, it turned out that Turkey finished the tournament in third place, showing that indeed Brazil's group was stronger than most had expected. Brazil went on beating all three opponents, scoring 11 goals and conceding only three, and topping the group.

Next they defeated Belgium 2-0, which had been the most difficult match for Brazil in the tournament. Against England in the quarter finals, Brazil won 2-1. Ronaldinho scored the winner with a remarkable chipped free kick and also assisted teammate Rivaldo for their first goal, but was sent off shortly before the end. 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 each in all five game 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. Either Germany (or West Germany) or Brazil had played in all World Cup finals since 1950 - except 1978 (If the last game of 1950 is considered to be a proper final). German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn had been the tournament's best keeper, but could not maintain that level of play, as Ronaldo vanquished his France '98 demons, scoring both goals in the Brazilian 2-0 triumph.

Incredibly, these teams had never played each other in the World Cup before. There was however a match between Brazil and East Germany in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Brazil won 1–0.

[edit] 2002–2005

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. They also won another championship, the 2004 Copa América in which Brazil defeated Argentina in a penalty shootout. Argentina had defeated Peru in the quarterfinals, and Colombia in the semifinals.

[edit] World Cup 2006

Entering the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Brazil were seen as heavy favorites to repeat their success at the previous cup. Brazil beat Croatia 1-0, Australia 2-0, Japan 4-1, the first two being hard-fought matches, to come out at the top of their group. However, Ronaldo was heavily criticized by the press for being overweight and in poor fitness and did not find his scoring form until the match against Japan.

During the second round, they defeated Ghana 3-0. However, Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals against France by a score of 1-0 when Thierry Henry scored the winning goal. France was led by a rejuvenated Zinedine Zidane and by a strong defense which kept the Brazilian strikers under check for the duration of the game. Brazil were 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 consecutive matches against a particular team. France now has a 2-1-1 all-time record against Brazil in World Cup play.

After the result of 2006, the team was criticized by many Brazilians. Some, such as Pelé, blamed coach Parreira and Ronaldinho for the team's early elimination.[6] The night after Brazil's defeat, vandals burned and destroyed a 7-meter tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in the Brazilian city of Chapecó, which had been erected in 2004 to celebrate Ronaldinho's first election as FIFA World Player of the Year.[7] Roberto Carlos[8] and Juninho Pernambucano each announced their retirement from the team and Juninho asserted that it was time for the players over 30 to retire from the team.[9] Cafu, the Brazilian captain, made an infamous comparison between the team of 2006 and the team at 1982 World Cup, one that is remembered as one of the greatest teams that lost a World Cup.[10] Two days after the loss, Ronaldinho and Adriano partied through the night in Barcelona, increasing the feeling of the Brazilians that they were betrayed by their national team.[11] This reaction contrasted with other players such as Rogerio Ceni, who was ashamed of the game and said "some defeats are marked by struggle, but we lost in an infelicitous way, that wasn't what we had hoped for",[12] and Zé Roberto, who cried and said that "the unity that we had outside the pitch, was lacking inside it".[13] On July 19, Parreira resigned as the team coach.

[edit] After the 2006 World Cup

1994 World Cup champion Dunga was hired as Brazil's new team coach on July 24. His first match in charge was against Norway which was played in Oslo on August 16, ended in a 1-1 draw. His second match was held against arch rivals Argentina on September 3 in Arsenal F.C.'s new Emirates Stadium in London, in which Brazil defeated Argentina by a 3-0 scoreline. On 5 September they defeated Wales 2-0 at Tottenham Hotspur F.C.'s White Hart Lane ground. They later defeated Kuwait club, Al-Kuwait 4-0, Ecuador 2-1 and had a 2-1 away win against Switzerland.

Dunga's first defeat as Brazil's coach occurred in February 2007 in a friendly match against Portugal, which is coached by former Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. In March 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.

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 AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, etc., but looked at the whole scope of Europe, finding individual talents such as Daniel Carvalho, Vagner Love and Dudu Cearense of Russian club CSKA Moscow and also Elano of Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, currently of Manchester City. Of the former 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 is yet to select the last member of the Magic Quartet, Ronaldo.

[edit] 2007 Copa America

Dunga took the Brazilians to Venezuela, for the 2007 Copa America. They were placed in a group with Mexico, Ecuador, and Chile. In Group B, Brazil surprisingly lost to Mexico 2-0, then bounced back with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Chile, and won 1-0 against Ecuador. They advanced to the quarter-finals, where they defeated Chile again 6-1. The Semi-Final was against Uruguay, and the game ended 2-2, and Brazil won 5-4 on penalties. Their opponent in the final was Argentina. Brazil and Argentina met in the finals, and Argentina were heavy favourites. But in the 4th minute of the final, Julio Baptista,scored, surprising the Argentinian team. Then in the 45th Minute, defender Roberto Ayala scored an own goal. The first half ended 2-0, and later in the 69th minute, Daniel Alves received the ball from Vagner Love's cross, shooting it into the side of the net and making it 3-0.

[edit] Results under coach Dunga

Date Opposition Result Score Scorers For Scorers Against Competition
August 16, 2006 Flag of Norway Norway D 1-1 D. Carvalho M. Gamst Pedersen International Friendly
September 3, 2006 Flag of Argentina Argentina W 3-0 Elano (2), Kaká - International Friendly
September 5, 2006 Flag of Wales Wales W 2-0 Marcelo, V. Love - International Friendly
October 7, 2006 Flag of Kuwait Al Kuwait W 4-0 R. Sóbis, Robinho, D. Carvalho, Kaká - International Friendly (unofficial match)
October 10, 2006 Flag of Ecuador Ecuador W 2-1 Fred, Kaká F. Borja International Friendly
November 15, 2006 Flag of Switzerland Switzerland W 2-1 Luisão, Kaká Maicon (own goal) International Friendly
February 6, 2007 Flag of Portugal Portugal L 0-2 - Simão, R. Carvalho International Friendly
March 24, 2007 Flag of Chile Chile W 4-0 Ronaldinho (2), Kaká, Juan - International Friendly
March 27, 2007 Flag of Ghana Ghana W 1-0 V. Love - International Friendly
June 1, 2007 Flag of England England D 1-1 Diego J. Terry International Friendly
June 5, 2007 Flag of Turkey Turkey D 0-0 - - International Friendly
June 27, 2007 Flag of Mexico Mexico L 0-2 - N. Castillo, R. Morales Copa América
July 1, 2007 Flag of Chile Chile W 3-0 Robinho (3) - Copa América
July 4, 2007 Flag of Ecuador Ecuador W 1-0 Robinho - Copa América
July 7, 2007 Flag of Chile Chile W 6-1 Juan, J Baptista, Robinho (2), Josué, V. Love H. Suazo Copa América
July 10, 2007 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay W 2-2 (5-4)* Maicon, J Baptista D. Forlán, S. Abreu Copa América
July 15, 2007 Flag of Argentina Argentina W 3-0 J. Baptista, R. Ayala (own goal), D. Alves - Copa América
August 22, 2007 Flag of Algeria Algeria W 2-0 Maicon, Ronaldinho - International Friendly
September 9, 2007 Flag of the United States USA W 4-2 O. Onyewu (own goal), Lúcio, Ronaldinho, Elano C. Bocanegra, C. Dempsey International Friendly
September 12, 2007 Flag of Mexico Mexico W 3-1 Kléber, Kaká, Afonso Alves J.C. Cacho International Friendly
October 14, 2007 Flag of Colombia Colombia D 0-0 - - World Cup Qualifying
October 17, 2007 Flag of Ecuador Ecuador W 5-0 V. Love, Ronaldinho, Kaká (2), Elano - World Cup Qualifying
November 18, 2007 Flag of Peru Peru D 1-1 Kaká Vargas World Cup Qualifying
November 21, 2007 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay W 2-1 Luís Fabiano (2) S. Abreu World Cup Qualifying
February 6, 2008 Flag of Ireland Ireland W 1-0 Robinho - International Friendly
March 26, 2008 Flag of Sweden Sweden W 1-0 Alexandre Pato - International Friendly
May 31, 2008 Flag of Canada Canada W 3-2 Diego, Luis Fabiano, Robinho R. Friend, J. Guzman International Friendly
June 6, 2008 Flag of Venezuela Venezuela L 0-2 - Giancarlo Maldonado, Ronald Vargas International Friendly
June 14, 2008 Flag of Paraguay Paraguay - World Cup Qualifying
June 18, 2008 Flag of Argentina Argentina - World Cup Qualifying

*Penalty Shootouts

[edit] Nickname

The Brazilian national team has many nicknames and are known in different parts of the world by different nicknames. The most common name used to refer to them, especially in Brazil, is A Seleção, which literally means the selection. Brazilians call any 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 to more specifically refer to it, the Seleção Brasileira de Futebol.[14] Although Brazilian media have popularized Seleção, other nicknames for them in Brazil include Canarinho, meaning Little Canary, a phrase that was popularized by the late cartoonist Fernando Pieruccetti during the 1950 World Cup.[15] Other names like Amarelinha, Little Yellow, Verde-amarelo, Green-Yellow, Pentacampeão, Five-time Champions[16] and Esquadrão de Ouro (the Golden Squad), among others. It can also be noted that American and English media outlets have referred to Brazil as the Auriverde, coming from the Portuguese words verde and amarela (or dourada) which mean green and yellow (or gold).[17]

[edit] Colours

Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Goalkeepers kit

Brazil's first team colours were white with blue collars, but following defeat in the Maracanazo 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.[18] 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.[19] 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 1958 World Cup final. Brazil's opponents were Sweden, who also wear yellow, and as the home team Sweden had first choice of colours. Brazil, who travelled with no spare kit, hurriedly purchased a set of blue shirts and sewed on emblems cut from their yellow shirts.[20]

[edit] Kit evolution

Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1914
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1916
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1917
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1918
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1919
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1919-1945
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1945-1950
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1950-1953
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
1954-present

[edit] Competitive record

World Cup record
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Flag of Uruguay 1930 Round 1 6/13 2 1 0 1 5 2
Flag of Italy 1934 Round 1 14/16 1 0 0 1 1 3
Flag of France 1938 Third Place 3/15 5 3 1 1 14 11
Flag of Brazil 1950 Final[21] 2/13 6 4 1 1 22 6
Flag of Switzerland 1954 Quarter-finals 5/16 3 1 1 1 8 5
Flag of Sweden 1958 Champions 1/16 6 5 1 0 16 4
Flag of Chile 1962 Champions 1/16 6 5 1 0 14 5
Flag of England 1966 Round 1 11/16 3 1 0 2 4 6
Flag of Mexico 1970 Champions 1/16 6 6 0 0 19 7
Flag of West Germany 1974 Semi-finals 4/16 7 3 2 2 6 4
Flag of Argentina 1978 Third Place 3/16 7 4 3 0 10 3
Flag of Spain 1982 Group Round 2 5/24 5 4 0 1 15 6
Flag of Mexico 1986 Quarter-finals 5/24 5 4 1 0 10 1
Flag of Italy 1990 Round 2 9/24 4 3 0 1 4 2
Flag of the United States 1994 Champions 1/24 7 5 2 0 11 3
Flag of France 1998 Final 2/32 7 4 1 2 14 10
Flag of South KoreaFlag of Japan 2002 Champions 1/32 7 7 0 0 18 4
Flag of Germany 2006 Quarter-finals 5/32 5 4 0 1 10 2
Total 18/18 5 Titles 92 64 *14 14 201 84
Confederations Cup record
Year Round GP W D* L GS GA
Flag of Saudi Arabia 1992 Did Not Qualify - - - - - -
Flag of Saudi Arabia 1995 Did Not Qualify - - - - - -
Flag of Saudi Arabia 1997 Champions 5 4 1 0 14 2
Flag of Mexico 1999 Final 5 4 0 1 16 6
Flag of South KoreaFlag of Japan 2001 Fourth place 5 1 2 2 3 3
Flag of France 2003 Round 1 3 1 1 1 3 3
Flag of Germany 2005 Champions 5 3 1 1 12 6
Flag of South Africa 2009 Qualified - - - - - -
Total 2 Titles 23 13 5 5 48 20
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Olympic medal record
Men's Football
Silver 1984 Los Angeles Team
Silver 1988 Seoul Team
Bronze 1996 Atlanta Team
Copa America/South American Championship
Total: 8 Titles
Year Position Year Position Year Position
Flag of Argentina 1916 Third place Flag of Peru 1939 Withdrew Flag of Uruguay 1967 Withdrew
Flag of Uruguay 1917 Third place Flag of Chile 1941 Withdrew 1975 Semi-Finals
Flag of Brazil 1919 Champions Flag of Uruguay 1942 Third place 1979 Semi-Finals
Flag of Chile 1920 Third place Flag of Chile 1945 Second place 1983 Second place
Flag of Argentina 1921 Second place Flag of Argentina 1946 Second place Flag of Argentina 1987 Round 1
Flag of Brazil 1922 Champions Flag of Ecuador 1947 Withdrew Flag of Brazil 1989 Champions
Flag of Uruguay 1923 Fourth place Flag of Brazil 1949 Champions Flag of Chile 1991 Second place
Flag of Uruguay 1924 Withdrew Flag of Peru 1953 Second place Flag of Ecuador 1993 Quarter-Finals
Flag of Argentina 1925 Second place Flag of Chile 1955 Withdrew Flag of Uruguay 1995 Second place
Flag of Chile 1926 Withdrew Flag of Uruguay 1956 Fourth place Flag of Bolivia 1997 Champions
Flag of Peru 1927 Withdrew Flag of Peru 1957 Second place Flag of Paraguay 1999 Champions
Flag of Argentina 1929 Withdrew Flag of Argentina 1959 Second place Flag of Colombia 2001 Quarter-Finals
Flag of Peru 1935 Withdrew Flag of Ecuador 1959 Third place Flag of Peru 2004 Champions
Flag of Argentina 1937 Second place Flag of Bolivia 1963 Fourth place Flag of Venezuela 2007 Champions
World Cup matches (By team)
Total : 64 Wins - 14 Ties - 14 Loses - 92 games played
Against Wins Draws Losses Total Against Wins Draws Losses Total Against Wins Draws Losses Total
Flag of Sweden Sweden 5 2 0 7 Flag of Peru Peru 2 0 0 2 Flag of the German Democratic Republic East Germany 1 0 0 1
Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia 3 2 0 5 Flag of Austria Austria 2 0 0 2 Flag of Germany Germany 1 0 0 1
Flag of Spain Spain 3 1 1 5 Flag of the Soviet Union USSR 2 0 0 2 Flag of Ghana Ghana 1 0 0 1
Flag of Italy Italy 2 1 2 5 Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 1 1 0 2 Flag of Japan Japan 1 0 0 1
Flag of England England 3 1 0 4 Flag of Uruguay Uruguay 1 0 1 2 Flag of Morocco Morocco 1 0 0 1
Flag of Poland Poland 3 0 1 4 Flag of Hungary Hungary 0 0 2 2 Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 1 0 0 1
Flag of Argentina Argentina 2 1 1 4 Flag of Algeria Algeria 1 0 0 1 Flag of New Zealand New Zealand 1 0 0 1
Flag of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 1 2 1 4 Flag of Australia Australia 1 0 0 1 Flag of Romania Romania 1 0 0 1
Flag of France France 1 1 2 4 Flag of Belgium Belgium 1 0 0 1 Flag of Russia Russia 1 0 0 1
Flag of Mexico Mexico 3 0 0 3 Flag of Bolivia Bolivia 1 0 0 1 Flag of the United States USA 1 0 0 1
Flag of Scotland Scotland 2 1 0 3 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria 1 0 0 1 Flag of Wales Wales 1 0 0 1
Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands 1 1 1 3 Flag of the People's Republic of China China PR 1 0 0 1 Flag of Zaire Zaire 1 0 0 1
Flag of Turkey Turkey 2 0 0 2 Flag of Cameroon Cameroon 1 0 0 1 Flag of Norway Norway 0 0 1 1
Flag of Chile Chile 2 0 0 2 Flag of Croatia Croatia 1 0 0 1 Flag of Portugal Portugal 0 0 1 1
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica 2 0 0 2 Flag of Denmark Denmark 1 0 0 1 - - - - -

[edit] Current Squad

The following players were called for the World Cup Qualifying against Paraguay and Argentina in 14 June and 18 June 2008. Caps and goals as of June 6, 2008.

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club
1 GK Júlio César 3 September 1979 22 0 Flag of Italy Inter Milan
22 GK Diego Alves 24 June 1985 0 0 Flag of Spain UD Almería
12 GK Doni 22 October 1979 11 0 Flag of Italy Roma
14 DF Luisão 13 February 1981 25 2 Flag of Portugal Benfica
16 DF Kléber 1 April 1980 11 1 Flag of Brazil Santos
13 DF Daniel Alves 6 May 1983 17 1 Flag of Spain Sevilla
3 DF Lúcio 8 May 1978 69 3 Flag of Germany Bayern Munich
6 DF Gilberto 25 April 1976 24 1 Flag of England Tottenham
15 DF Thiago Silva 22 September 1984 0 0 Flag of Brazil Fluminense
4 DF Juan 1 February 1979 64 4 Flag of Italy Roma
2 DF Maicon 26 July 1981 35 3 Flag of Italy Inter Milan
5 MF Josué 19 July 1979 17 2 Flag of Germany VfL Wolfsburg
10 MF Diego 28 February 1985 37 7 Flag of Germany Werder Bremen
7 MF Júlio Baptista 1 October 1981 41 10 Flag of Spain Real Madrid
17 MF Elano 14 June 1981 30 4 Flag of England Manchester City
18 MF Mineiro 2 August 1975 15 0 Flag of Germany Hertha Berlin
19 MF Anderson 13 April 1988 5 0 Flag of England Manchester United
8 MF Gilberto Silva 7 October 1976 64 3 Flag of England Arsenal
23 MF Hernanes 29 May 1985 1 0 Flag of Brazil São Paulo
11 FW Robinho 25 January 1984 51 15 Flag of Spain Real Madrid
9 FW Luís Fabiano 8 November 1980 19 10 Flag of Spain Sevilla
20 FW Adriano 17 February 1982 43 27 Flag of Brazil São Paulo
21 FW Alexandre Pato 2 September 1989 4 1 Flag of Italy A.C. Milan


[edit] Recent Call Ups

The following players have also been called up to the Brazil squad.

Goalkeepers
Name Date of birth Club Caps (goals) Most Recent Call up
Renan January 24, 1985 Flag of Brazil Internacional 0 (0) v. Ireland, 6 February 2008
Defenders
Name Date of birth Club Caps (goals) Most Recent Call up
Marcelo May 12, 1988 Flag of Spain Real Madrid 3 (1) v. Venezuela, 6 June 2008
Henrique October 14, 1986 Flag of Brazil Palmeiras 1 (0) v. Venezuela, 6 June 2008
Léo January 30, 1988 Flag of Brazil Grêmio 0 (0) v. Sweden, 26 March 2008
Alex June 17, 1982 Flag of England Chelsea 12 (0) v. Sweden, 26 March 2008
Rafinha September 7, 1985 Flag of Germany Schalke 04 1 (0) v. Sweden, 26 March 2008
Breno October 13, 1989 Flag of Germany Bayern Munich 0 (0) v. Ireland, 6 February 2008
Leonardo Moura October 23, 1978 Flag of Brazil Flamengo 1 (0) v. Ireland, 6 February 2008
Naldo September 10, 1982 Flag of Germany Werder Bremen 4 (0) v. Ireland, 6 February 2008
Midfielders
Name Date of birth Club Caps (goals) Most Recent Call up
Lucas January 1, 1987 Flag of England Liverpool 2 (0) v. Sweden, 26 March 2008
Thiago Neves February 27, 1985 Flag of Brazil Fluminense 1 (0) v. Sweden, 26 March 2008
Richarlyson December 27, 1982 Flag of Brazil São Paulo 2 (0) v. Sweden, 26 March 2008
Kaká April 22, 1982 Flag of Italy A.C. Milan 56 (20) v. Ireland, 6 February 2008
Ronaldinho March 21, 1980 Flag of Spain Barcelona 82 (32) v. Uruguay, 21 November 2007
Fernando May 3, 1981 Flag of France Bordeaux 4 (0) v. Peru, 18 November 2007
Strikers
Name Date of birth Club Caps (goals) Most Recent Call up
Rafael Sóbis June 17, 1985 Flag of Spain Real Betis 8 (1) v. Venezuela, 6 June 2008
Bobô January 9, 1985 Flag of Turkey Beşiktaş J.K. 0 (0) v. Ireland, 6 February 2008
Vágner Love June 11, 1984 Flag of Russia CSKA Moscow 20 (8) v. Uruguay, 21 November 2007

[edit] Players

[edit] Notable former players

[edit] Most appearances

Below is a list of the 20 players with the most appearances for Brazil, as of May 25, 2008:

# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Cafu 1990 - 2006 156 5
2 Roberto Carlos 1992 - 2006 125 24
3 Rivelino 1965 - 1978 122 43
4 Ronaldo* 1994 - 2006 112 74
5 Émerson Leão 1970 - 1986 106 0
6 Gilmar 1953 - 1969 103 0
7 Cláudio Taffarel 1987 - 1998 101 0
8 Djalma Santos 1952 - 1968 100 3
9 Aldair 1989 - 2000 93 4
10 Pelé 1957 - 1971 92 77
11 Dida 1995 - 2006 91 0
= Dunga 1982 - 1998 91 6
13 Zico 1971 - 1989 88 66
14 Romário 1987 - 2005 85 71
15 Zé Roberto 1995 - 2006 84 6
16 Ronaldinho* 1999 - present 82 32
17 Jairzinho 1963 - 1982 81 33
18 Bebeto 1985 - 1998 76 42
19 Nílton Santos 1949 - 1962 75 3
20 Rivaldo 1993 - 2003 74 35

[edit] Most goals

Below is a list of the 20 players with the most goals for Brazil, as of May 25, 2008:

# Name Career Goals Caps
1 Pelé 1957 - 1971 77 92
2 Ronaldo* 1994 - present 74 97
3 Romário 1987 - 2005 71 85
4 Zico 1971 - 1989 66 88
5 Rivelino 1965 - 1978 43 122
6 Bebeto 1985 - 1998 42 76
7 Tostão 1966 - 1972 36 65
8 Rivaldo 1993 - 2003 35 74
9 Jairzinho 1963 - 1982 33 81
10 Ademir 1945 - 1953 32 39
= Ronaldinho* 1999 - present 32 82
12 Zizinho 1942 - 1957 30 53
13 Careca 1982 - 1993 29 60
14 Adriano* 2000 - present 27 41
15 Sócrates 1979 - 1986 25 63
= Roberto Dinamite 1975 - 1984 25 47
17 Jair 1940 - 1950 24 49
18 Roberto Carlos 1992 - 2006 24 125
19 Kaka* 2002 - present 22 59
20 Alex* 1999 - present 21 68
21 Didi 1952 - 1962 20 68

*Denotes players still available for selection

[edit] IFFHS Player of the 20th Century

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

# 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
= Tostão 1966 - 1972 21
7 Didi 1952 - 1962 17
8 Leônidas 1932 - 1946 13
9 Nílton Santos 1949 - 1962 12
= Ronaldo* 1994 - present 12
11 Romário 1987 - 2005 11
12 Falcão 1976 - 1986 10
= Rivelino 1965 - 1978 10
14 Ademir da Guia 1965 - 1974 9
15 Luís Edmundo Pereira 1973 - 1977 7
16 Carlos Alberto Torres 1964 - 1977 5
17 Domingos da Guia 1938 4
18 Ademir 1945 - 1953 3
19 Bebeto 1985 - 1998 2
= Jairzinho 1963 - 1982 2

*Denotes players still available for selection

[edit] Previous World Cup, Confederations Cup squads

 

[edit] Coaches

World Cup winning coaches in bold.

[edit] Trivia

Brazil is the most successful team in World Cup history.
Brazil is the most successful team in World Cup history.
  • Brazil remains the most successful team in terms of World Cup wins, with 5 from 10 semifinal appearances. They are the only team to participate in every single of the 18 World Cups since they began in 1930. Brazil has played 92 matches (a record, along with Germany), won 64, draw 14 and lost 14. The team scored 201 goals (a record) and conceded 84, for a positive goal differential of 117 and a 2.18 goal average.
  • Brazil have also won the Confederations Cup twice; in 1997 and 2005. France is the only country besides Brazil to have achieved 2 titles in the competition.
  • The Olympic football tournament is the only global international competition in football that Brazil has never won. Although they have never won a gold medal at the Olympic Games, they won two silver medals (1984 and 1988) and a bronze medal (1996).
  • The Brazilian youth team (formed by players under the age of 20) also won the World Youth Championship four times; in 1983, 1985, 1993, and 2003;second only to Argentina.
  • Brazil also won a record two of three Panamerican Championship,a former competition set between 1952 and 1960; four Pan American Games;second to Argentina; and a record three U17 World Cup tied with Nigeria.Also,at continental level,the national side established a record 8 Copa Roca,against only 4 conquers of Argentina;a record 7 Rio Branco Cup,against just 3 of Uruguay; and a record three Taça do Atlantico.
  • The Brazilian national team (along with the England, Netherlands, Wales, Denmark, Republic of Ireland and Scotland teams) is one of the few national teams left who still plays with the old number system, where the eleven players in the starting lineup gets a number from 1 to 11. Surnames are only used on the back of the players' jerseys in a World Cup, Confederations Cup or Copa América match.
  • The only national team that has played against Brazil and never lost to them is Norway
  • Of the seven nations to have won the World Cup, Brazil is the only one that never did so on home soil. Brazil's lone time of hosting the event (in 1950) saw Uruguay upset the Brazillians to win the Cup.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ FIFA.com
  2. ^ "World Cup History - The Facts and Stats", William Hill, May 28, 2006. URL accessed on 15 June 2006.
  3. ^ Bellos, Alex (2002). Futebol: the Brazilian way of life. London: Bloomsbury, 37. ISBN 0-7475-6179-6. 
  4. ^ Bellos, Alex (2003). Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. 
  5. ^ Garrincha 122.
  6. ^ "Pelé culpa Ronaldinho e Parreira por eliminação precoce", Terra Esportes, 2006-07-04. Retrieved on 2006-07-05. (Portuguese) 
  7. ^ "Estátua de Ronaldinho é queimada em Santa Catarina", UOL Esporte, 2006-07-03. Retrieved on 2006-07-04. (Portuguese) 
  8. ^ "Carlos quits international scene", British Broadcasting Corporation, 2006-07-03. Retrieved on 2006-07-04. 
  9. ^ "Juninho quits international scene", British Broadcasting Corporation, 2006-07-03. Retrieved on 2006-07-04. 
  10. ^ "Cafu evita falar em aposentadoria da seleção", Terra Esportes, 2006-07-03. Retrieved on 2006-07-04. (Portuguese) 
  11. ^ "Decepção da Copa, Ronaldinho "festeja" com comida, dança e balada", Folha Online, 2006-07-04. Retrieved on 2006-07-04. (Portuguese) 
  12. ^ "Envergonhado, Ceni admite superioridade francesa", Terra Esportes, 2006-07-04. Retrieved on 2006-07-04. (Portuguese) 
  13. ^ "Emocionado, Zé Roberto diz que faltou união em campo", Terra Esportes, 2006-07-04. Retrieved on 2006-07-05. (Portuguese) 
  14. ^ Use of Seleção and Canarinho. FIFA. Retrieved on October 6, 2006.
  15. ^ Fernando Pieruccetti creates the Canarinhos. Terra. Retrieved on October 6, 2006.
  16. ^ Reference to Pentacampeão. BBC Brasil. Retrieved on October 6, 2006.
  17. ^ Nickname Auriverde in use. FIFA. Retrieved on October 6, 2006.
  18. ^ Futebol, p64
  19. ^ Ibid
  20. ^ Futebol, p67
  21. ^ There was no official World Cup final match in 1950. The tournament winner was decided by a final round-robin group contested by four teams (Uruguay, Brazil, Sweden, and Spain). However, Uruguay's 2-1 victory over Brazil (a match known as Maracanazo) was the decisive match (and also coincidentally one of the last two matches of the tournament) which put them ahead on points and ensured that they finished top of the group as world champions. Therefore, this match is often considered the "final" of the 1950 World Cup [1]PDF (150 KiB). Likewise, Sweden's 3-1 victory over Spain (played at the same time as Uruguay vs Brazil) ensured that they finished third.

[edit] 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. 

[edit] External links

[edit] Titles

Achievements
Preceded by
1954 West Germany Flag of West Germany
World Champions
1958 (First title)
1962 (Second title)
Succeeded by
1966 England Flag of England
Preceded by
1966 England Flag of England
World Champions
1970 (Third title)
Succeeded by
1974 West Germany Flag of West Germany
Preceded by
1990 West Germany Flag of West Germany
World Champions
1994 (Fourth title)
Succeeded by
1998 France Flag of France
Preceded by
1998 France Flag of France
World Champions
2002 (Fifth title)
Succeeded by
2006 Italy Flag of Italy
Preceded by
1995 Denmark Flag of Denmark
Confederations Cup Champions
1997 (First title)
Succeeded by
1999 Mexico Flag of Mexico
Preceded by
2003 France Flag of France
Confederations Cup Champions
2005 (Second title)
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
1917 Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
South American Champions
1919 (First title)
Succeeded by
1920 Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Preceded by
1921 Argentina Flag of Argentina
South American Champions
1922 (Second title)
Succeeded by
1923 Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
Preceded by
1947 Argentina Flag of Argentina
South American Champions
1949 (Third title)
Succeeded by
1953 Paraguay Flag of Paraguay
Preceded by
1987 Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
South American Champions
1989 (Fourth title)
Succeeded by
1991 Argentina Flag of Argentina
Preceded by
1995 Uruguay Flag of Uruguay
South American Champions
1997 (Fifth title)
1999 (Sixth title)
Succeeded by
2001 Colombia Flag of Colombia
Preceded by
2001 Colombia Flag of Colombia
South American Champions
2004 (Seventh title)
2007 (Eighth title)
Succeeded by
Incumbent