Bruno Guimaraes’ terrified face when his penalty kick bounced off Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland’s palm; Endrik, kneeling inside the box, weeping; Gabriel Magalhas was frustrated as Erling Haaland beat him in the air; Manager Carlo Ancelotti stomps down the tunnel in disbelief. The images will haunt Brazil—the country, the consciousness of its people, and the football team.
The World Cup has never been a long wait; Their combined play at the World Cup never felt inadequate. Their talent void seems scarcely to tell; His claim to be the stirring soul of the game could hardly be mistaken; Samba beats rarely register dissonance. Even after this tournament, Brazil will be the most successful football playing nation. But the truth is unmistakable: they are living on nostalgia, sliding into a black hole from which they can never return to greatness. Brazil have lost before and were the better side for much of this match. But this defeat seemed like a collapse of tactics; Football’s most fascinating culture seemed to unravel.
A round-of-16 exit isn’t so much a wake-up call as a slap in the face for ignoring the red flags that have been flaring up for the best part of this century—not just a diagnosis of the malaise that gnaws at them in slow death, but a full manifestation of it.
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Brazil did not lose as Guimaraes missed a penalty. He took it ahead of Vinicius Jr., who seemed to be an automatic choice, as their research team found that, of those on the field, he was the most penalty-taker. A culture built on instincts increasingly leaning on science and data – inevitable in the modern age – is a striking contrast to the Brazil of old. Anyone can miss a penalty; Even Ronaldo Nazario did it at his peak. But neglecting their natural goalscorers will drive Selecao fans crazy in this crucial fixture.
Endrik deserves sympathy. At 19 and just two minutes into the game, his tremendous touch betrayed a young man who seized his moment. But Brazilian legends of a certain era seized such moments to become superstars. From Pele and Garrincha to Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, they were, for all their brilliant qualities, giants of the mind.
Brazil team was saddened after being eliminated from the World Cup. (AP)
Arguably, the most apt metaphor for Brazil’s downfall is Gabriel lying inside his box, heartbroken. Not because he was terrible – he had a near-flawless day until Erling Haaland’s first-goal mistake – but because he was stunned by then. Brazil’s lack of centre-backs meant he and Marquinhos could afford to rest a bit. The pair played every minute of the contest, masking the defensive fragility of their full backs, adding legs and miles for their aging defensive midfielders.
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This will hit Brazilian football the hardest. The endless carousel of talent seemed to have stopped. Attackers kept popping up, but full backs dried up; Young defensive midfielders dwindled. Not long ago, they were forced to leave Prime Minister Dani Alves on the bench because of Maicon; Fernandinho and Fabinho had to be content with bit-part appearances as Casemiro was at his all-action-hero peak. No matter how much Ancelotti tried to fix the system, the cracks remained like open wounds waiting to be rubbed with salt and oil. And he didn’t have time to create new talent or pick an outrageous gem off the street.
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A confused administration didn’t help; They have had four presidents in the last ten years. During their most prosperous period in the modern era (1994 to 2006, when they were champions twice), they had only one president, Ricardo Teixeira. Corruption charges ended his tenure, but the misdeeds did not. Instability also spread in the team management. Since Tite’s resignation, Brazil have had four coaches in as many years, two permanent appointments and two interim appointments. The federation aggressively pursued Ancelotti for the better part of the last three years, but it was only last year that they landed him. He had very little time to work miracles. In the age of progress in structured football, miracles are not prevalent.
Resorting to the Italian was an admission that their coaching system had collapsed. Brazil may be the biggest exporter of football talent in Europe. But there is not a single Brazilian manager in Europe’s top five leagues. Beyond brief spells by Wanderle Luxemburgo, Ricardo Gomes and Leonardo, the list is remarkably thin. Argentina, by contrast, is full of elite managers: Marcelo Bielsa, Diego Simeone, Mauricio Pochettino, Jorge Sampaoli, Tata Martino and Lionel Scaloni. One out of every six teams in this World Cup was managed by Argentina.
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None of these deep-rooted defects can be removed in a day or even a year. But saving the world’s most vibrant football culture has to start soon. Samba should not disappear forever; The brightest color of the game should not be lost. And the broken images piled up.