Team Profile: Brazil

BRAZIL - República Federativa do Brasil
Coach: Carlos Bledorn Verri (Dunga)
Confederation: Conmebol
FIFA Ranking (Dec 09): 2
Previous Appearances: 18 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)

Background

Brazil is arguably the most successful team in football history. They’re the only team to have won the World Cup five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) and also the only country to feature in every edition of the tournament. The only major competition that Brazil has yet to win is the Olympic Games.

How They Qualified

Brazil finished in first place in the CONMEBOL qualifying section.

Strengths

Set-pieces and lightning fast counter-attacks are Brazil's specialities under Dunga . Corner Kicks and free kicks close to the box are taken with efficiency by Elano and the center-backs join the forwards to threaten the opposite goal. The counter-attacks are usually led by the speed of Kaka.

Weaknesses

Brazil struggles when facing teams that just sit back and defend. The passing game is not sharp or quick enough to get through. The Brazilian defence is pretty strong, but the left side is a little fragile.

Coach

The nomination of Dunga, in 2006, was highly criticised by the media because of his lack of experience. His results, however, have proven that he is good enough for the job. Dunga likes to play in the 4-2-3-1 formation, but often relies on the 4-3-1-2.

Star Men

Kaka (Real Madrid) - The best Brazilian player today is a leader within the national team. The best player in the world in 2007 will make his third appearance in the World Cup. He already has a title in 2002.

Luis Fabiano (Sevilla) - The centre-forward position was up for grabs in the Brazilian team for a while, but after a strong performance against Uruguay in the qualifiers, Fabiano settled himself as the owner of the number 9 shirt. He finished the qualifiers as Brazil’s top-scorer.

Julio Cesar (Inter) - Probably since the golden days of Taffarel, we haven't seen such a safe and spectacular goalkeeper as Julio Cesar. The former Flamengo star will appear as a starter in a World Cup for the first time, so his motivation will be sky-high.

Best Footballing Moment

The 1970 Brazilian Team, arguably the best side in world football history, were beating Italy 3-1 in the final of the World Cup. But for that amazing side, that scoreline wasn’t enough. A spectacular team effort that started with a series of dribbles by Clodoaldo and ended with a fantastic pass by Pele that allowed Carlos Alberto to score the fourth goal to put the icing on the cake of a perfect tournament.

Off The Pitch

Famous for: ‘Carnaval’, a popular party that lasts 4 days and involves parades, Samba music and beautiful women.Most likely to: Brazilian fans like to bring the ‘Carnaval’ to the World Cup. It’s not unusual to see people with large music instruments in the stadiums.

World Cup Objective

As it happens with Brazil in every World Cup, the goal is to win the event.