Brazil currently stand as the most successful country in football history. They have won the World Cup five times (in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002), one more than Italy and are only one of five countries to have won it more than once, and one of eight to have ever won it at all. Their players have won the Ballon D’Or six times in the past 15 years and the World Player of the Year eight times in its 19 years of existence. That’s more than any other country. They can boast to having produced some of the greatest ever players, including Socrates, Carlos Alberto, Garrincha, Rivaldo, Jairzinha, Romario, Rivelino, Zito, Ronaldo and Tostao, to name just a few. In the current Brazilian team are some of the finest players in the world including Ronaldinho, Lúcio, Alexandre Pato, Júlio Cesar, Maicon and Luis Fabiano. And of course, they boast having one of the greatest players ever to play the game, if not the best player that is; Pele. You can also just take a look at Brazil’s record in the World Cup to understand their position. After all, they are officially the most succesful team in World Cup history. Appearances at finals: 1930: First round 1934: First round 1938: Third place 1950. Runners-up 1954: Quarter-finals 1958: Winners 1962. Winners 1966: First round 1970: Winners 1974: Fourth place 1978: Third place 1982: Second group stage 1986: Quarter-finals 1990: Second round 1994: Winners 1998: Runners-up 2002: Winners 2006: Quarter-finals 2010: Quarter-finals Best performance: Winners in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Most appearances at finals: Cafú (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006) – 21. Most goals at finals: Ronaldo (1998, 2002, 2006) – 15. World Cup high: Becoming the first country to win three World Cups with what has been described as the world’s greatest ever team in 1970. They defeated Italy 4-1 in the final and were graced by an attacking line-up that boasted Pelé, Tostao, Gerson, Jairzinho and Rivelino. As close to attacking football perfection as has yet been seen. World Cup low: Losing the final of France 98, where star man Ronaldo played like a zombie after suffering a fit in the hours leading up to the match. Brazil had no answer to a Zinedine Zidane-inspired France and crashed to a 3-0 defeat. World Cup legend: Pelé played in four World Cups and remains the only player to have won three World Cups. He was champion for the first time as a 17-year-old at Sweden 1958. Having missed much of the 1962 tournament after suffering an injury in Brazil’s second game, and then being kicked out of the tournament after rough-house tactics from Hungary and Portugal as Brazil exited, he secured his legend at Mexico 70, where he inspired the tournament’s best-ever team, scoring in the final and providing the assist for Carlos Alberto’s wonderful goal to clinch the 4-1 win. Overall, he played 14 games and scored a total of 12 goals.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:28:34 +0000
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