Brazil is playing an internal game, against itself, in the American football stadiums of the 2024 Copa América: it is not only facing its rivals – and many of them are apparently in very good football form, such as Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia – but also its customary greatness, which threatens to become its own competitor. The doubts about its game and identity that it had when it arrived in the United States deepened in the first phase of the Cup. The most seductive team of the 20th century is beginning to feel nostalgia for itself: Brazil looks in the mirror and does not see itself, except in the rearview mirror of its history, which returns a faded and nostalgic yellow.
With just one win in three games and second place in their group behind Colombia, this Saturday’s (Sunday, 3 a.m. in Spain) quarter-final against an intrepid Uruguay in Las Vegas represents an unusually crucial moment for Brazil, perhaps a turning point for modern times: has the only five-time world champion team – not so its clubs, imperial in Conmebol tournaments and regular winners of the Copa Libertadores – descended to its most vulgar version of the last decades?
One of the most prestigious sports analysts in his country, Juca Kfouri, published in these hours on Folha de S. Paulo a column titled The Brazilian national team is the fourth force in American footballFor the journalist, who describes Dorival Junior’s team in the Copa América as “a bureaucratic team”, “thinking that we have a team inferior to three others on the continent is sad, but realistic,” referring to Argentina – current world and American champion -, Colombia and Uruguay. These three teams, along with the revelation Venezuela, won their groups in the first phase.
Precisely, to be crowned champion of the Copa América and pulverize the doubts, Brazil must first beat Uruguay, then in the semifinals Colombia – favorite in its quarterfinal match against Panama, also on Saturday, in Phoenix – and finally Argentina, if the Albiceleste, after its victory last night against Ecuador, also beats the winner of Venezuela-Canada. At another time it would be a mission that would not intimidate the Brazilians, but the Canarinha after the departure of Tite – the coach who won 80% of the points at stake between 2016 and 2022 – became a shell: it is difficult to know what is inside.
Brazil’s only win in the first round came thanks to an inspired night from Real Madrid striker Vinicius in the 4-1 win over Paraguay, an opponent so underrated that they lost all their matches. Add to that the disconcerting start to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, in which Brazil – then managed by Fernando Diniz, who was fired and replaced by Dorival Júnior in January – is in an unusual sixth place after six games, and the question is served and exceeds the first three games of this Cup.
In the words of Raymond Carver, what are we talking about when we talk about Brazil? Those teams full of stars, from Pelé and Garrincha in black and white to Romario and Ronaldo at the turn of the century? Or the team that in the last 15 years, since 2007, has only won one of the last 10 tournaments it has played between World Cups and Copa Américas – it was continental champion in 2019, at home? “We went from the difficulty of beating the Europeans to beating our own brothers,” wrote Kfouri, in relation to the lackluster start in the current Copa América along with the eliminations that Brazil suffered in the last World Cups against France in 2006, the Netherlands in 2010, Germany in 2014, Belgium in 2018 and Croatia in 2022.
While waiting for the return of Neymar, injured since last October, Brazil will not be able to count on Vinicius against Uruguay, suspended for the second yellow card he received in the match against Colombia for slapping James. His future teammate at Real Madrid, Endrick, 17, has so far had very little participation in the Cup: just 34 minutes in the three games. Considered a coach who bets on simplicity, to the point that he was once called bean With rice in reference to the staple food of the Brazilian people, Dorival Junior is so far unbeaten in the seven games he has managed Brazil. Some of them were even positive results, such as the victory against England at Wembley and the draw against Spain at the Santiago Bernabéu in March, but the truth of his management will begin to be known this Saturday. Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay is coming in strong: they won their first three games, 3-1 against Panama, 5-0 against Bolivia and 1-0 against the United States. In the last match between the two, in the qualifiers in October, the Celeste beat Brazil 2-0 in Montevideo.
In the shadow of its neighbour Argentina, Brazil is spreading indifference among its public but also some criticism, for example from Lula. If the president had already indirectly attacked Neymar last October – partly, surely, as a return to the support of the number 10 for Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections – shortly before the Copa América he again attacked the five-time world champion: “I was watching the Brazilian team and I didn’t know any player.” In truth, the whole of Brazil is unrecognisable.
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