International Football
WORLD CUP NOT ALWAYS WON BY THE BEST TEAM, SAYS BRAZILIAN STAR, MARQUINHOS
It has been 17 years since Brazil last won the World Cup, yet it is the most respected football squad in the world.
Brazil may not have won the World Cup since 2002, but Selecao centre back Marquinhos believes not all of his nation’s greatest generations have lifted football’s most storied prize.
No team in world football has more World Cups than Brazil (five), but the South American nation has also feted talented trophy-less teams like the class of 1982 – which featured Zico and Socrates.
Marquinhos admits that Brazil circa 2019, who won their first major trophy in 17 years at the Copa America in July, cannot yet be benchmarked among the pantheon of great Selecao sides.
But he believes that the World Cup is not the sole determinant of a team’s greatness.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of their friendlies against Senegal and Nigeria at the National Stadium this week, the 25-year-old centre-back said: “I think that right now we are not the best because we have not won the World Cup.
“But football right now is different and we are trying to get used to this moment of football.
“If we win a World Cup one day, we will put our name in history as one of the best.
“Until we win titles like the World Cup, we will not be part of this history.
“But also in Brazil, we have magical generations that didn’t win a World Cup.
“And sometimes generations that weren’t that good won the World Cup and they are (recognised) in history. Football is like this, titles are important.”
Since Brazil won their last World Cup in Japan and South Korea, Europe have usurped Brazil and their South American counterparts as the dominant force in world football.
The last four tournaments have been won by four different European nations – Italy, Spain, Germany and France.
All but one of the finalists in those tournaments hail from Europe, with Brazil’s arch-rivals Argentina losing to Germany in 2010.
When asked why South America seems to be lagging behind, Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos said the continent needs to adapt to the increasingly “defensive” nature of international football.
He said: “We South Americans cannot lose our essence, but must adapt to the moment…
“Not always the highest quality will win…
“The world of football right now is playing more like Europe, all around the world…
“Many teams are playing a defensive style. So when we see the teams in a World Cup, all of them are playing in a defensive way.
“They are more closed between the lines.
“So it’s different from the football that was played in the past.
“The focus was on attack and now the focus is on defence.
“But we need to have our own philosophy and we have to match that with the European style.”
Marquinhos was one of 11 Brazil players who arrived in Singapore yesterday morning.
The others were Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Fabinho, Eder Militao, Lucas Paqueta, Casemiro, Thiago Silva, Richarlison, Dani Alves and Neymar.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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