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The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football
Brazil has produced some of the greatest players of all time It also produced the greatest football never to play football: Carlos Kaiser, who earned a living as a star striker at some of Brazil’s biggest clubs for two decades – and he didn’t score a single goal. A film and a book about his extraordinary life will be released soon (I wrote the book, hence this entirely gratuitous plug), and I recommend them both. Obviously.
Here’s a trailer for the film, directed by the brilliant Louis Myles.
Here’s a link for the book. And here’s the Forgotten Story we did on Kaiser a year ago.
Half-time Brazil 1-0 Switzerland
Brazil lead through Philippe Coutinho’s trademark long-range curler. They look comfortable enough, even though they didn’t create much in a largely uneventful first half. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
45+2 min A decent chance for Thiago Silva, who heads Neymar’s inswinging corner over the bar at the near post. That was a really good opportunity, though not a sitter.
44 min Switzerland have really dominated possession in the last 10 minutes, albeit without creating much. They are game, that’s for sure.
43 min “Brazil has flirted with indulgence and conservatism,” says Billy Graboso. “Their great match winners of the past three decades have hid the fact they play ugly football. The last time they truly set the world alight was in the 2005 Confederations Cup unleashing Ronaldinho, Kaka, and Adriano. All three at their peak! The same has happened recently with Argentina who held the beautiful game’s torch from the 90s to 2006.”
42 min It’s been a strange half, in that it feels like Brazil have been really impressive yet they’ve only created one clear chance.
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40 min Zuber’s errant shot, which would have gone out for a throw-in, flashes into the coupon of Thiago Silva. He visits the canvas but bounces straight back up and seems fine.
38 min Thiago plays a backpass to Alisson, who nonchalantly flicks the ball over Dzemaili’s attempted block. That was laughably confident.
37 min The biggest threat to Brazil is complacency. They are in total control of this game.
35 min Apart from that early chance for Dzemaili, Switzerland have struggled to get anywhere near the Brazil area.
33 min A corner on the left to Brazil. Neymar swings it to the far post, where Jesus heads back across goal from four yards. The ball beats everyone and goes all the way back to Neymar, who is offside. It looked a great chance for Jesus, though replays showed he couldn’t quite get around the ball to steer it towards goal.
32 min “Neymar’s hair,” says John Ashdown. “My wife thinks it’s like Glenn Close’s in Fatal Attraction days; to me it’s more like 1980s Martin Gore of Depeche Mode. Your thoughts?”
I just think it’s time Paul Pogba concentrated on his football.
30 min Switzerland have played pretty well, limiting Brazil to no clear chances, and they are having a lot of possession at the moment.
29 min “Coutinho, Willian, Jesus, Danilo, Paulinho; Bobby Firmino and Ederson on the bench - who said that South Americans couldn’t hack the English game?” says Matt Loten.
If Brazil win the World Cup, I hope they make a special media for Richard Scudamore.
27 min “Working in Munich for an Italian boss, I’m enjoying asking him about his World Cup viewing plans,” says Olly Bond. “I even gave him a nice wall chart for his office, which he took very well. On my way to visit colleagues in Holland where I’ll be equally tactful, crossing a very subdued Germany by train.”
I’d go easy on the schadenfreude until England have played Panama.
26 min Switzerland win a corner on the left. Rodriguez’s outswinger is headed away by Casemiro, who clashes heads with Schar in the process.
25 min “Is there any other player in this World Cup who loves to show off his skill as much as Neymar?” says Gokul Kannan. “At times it is nauseating. He can pass, but he won’t. He has to make the other player look stupid and show the world that he can hold on to the ball. It is always a personal challenge for him.”
23 min After a slow start, Brazil have looked really slick with the ball - and equally good without it.
Marcelo’s cross was headed away to Coutinho, in the inside-left channel 25 yards from goal. His first touch was immaculate, teeing himself up for a big right-footed curler that clattered off the inside of the far post and into the net. It’s a beautiful goal, the kind we’ve seen him score so often.
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GOAL! Brazil 1-0 Switzerland (Coutinho 20)
Hello Brazil, my old friend. Philippe Coutinho has given them the lead with a gorgeous goal!
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18 min Lovely play from Brazil. Neymar flicks the ball behind him to Coutinho, who surges into space and finds Jesus on the left side of the box. His crisp low cross is a bit too close to Sommer.
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17 min “Ronaldo, Romario, Garrinca and Pele…” says Pete Salmon. “Give me that tactical anarchy any day of the week...”
BUT WHO’S TRACKING THE RUNNERS?
16 min Neymar hits a tame free-kick into the wall.
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15 min Neymar is fouled 25 yards from goal in a central position. It’ll be Cristiano Ronaldo to take it...
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13 min Brazil are starting to swagger. Marcelo finds Jesus, whose curling cross drifts a few yards wide of the far post.
11 min Paulinho misses a sitter. Coutinho slid a nice little pass to Neymar, whose low cross from the left of the box deflected into the path of Paulinho four yards from goal. He panicked and mis-hit a left-footed shot against his standing foot, though it still needed a terrific fingertip save from Sommer.
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10 min “Am I the only one who doesn’t like Brazil?” says Andrew Hurley. “I get them as favourites but their sense of entitlement is gnawing. 2014 one had the sense they felt it was their destiny, and it stunk of arrogance. The semi-final is one of my all-time favourite games. They look very good on paper though. (None of the above is because two Brazilian ex-GFs got rid of me....)”
Cris Freddi, the world’s best football historian, hates them as well. I do think they can be snake oil salesmen but watching players like Ronaldinho, Romario, Ronaldo and Rivaldo has made my life umpteen times better.
8 min Brazil haven’t started playing yet. Whenever you’re ready, lads.
7 min “Hallo from San Antonio, TX, where a partisan crowd cried and cheered Mexico’s win,” writes Sam. “We’re staying at pub for Brazil/Switzerland, as hubby’s granddad was Swiss, tho for the longest he thought he was Irish (Muhleman). What grand old sport, eh? Allez les Suisses!”
6 min “Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “For a moment I thought Ian Copestake’s Bobby was Bobby Murdoch of Celtic and Scotland, Big Cup winner and 12 times capped - yes, 12!! - Scotland international who never played in the World Cup finals, competing as he did for places with Jim Baxter and Billy Bremner. Oh Scotland!!!!!!!”
5 min It’s been a leisurely start from Brazil, with Switzerland looking the more urgent.
4 min “Two upfront,” says Phil Podolsky of the Ronaldo/Romario debate. “They even made an unstoppable duo in the 1997 Copa.” Aye, and it’s such a shame we didn’t see Ro-Ro at France 98. But you couldn’t play Ronaldo, Romario, Garrinca and Pele. It’d be tactical anarchy!
3 min An early chance for Switzerland, who have started well. Shaqiri’s cross from the right is hooked over the bar by Dzemaili. It bounced awkwardly and he ended up shinning it, but it was still a decent opportunity.
2 min “Hello Rob,” says Kári Tulinius, who has just about recovered from Iceland’s glory yesterday. “Growing up I heard many stories of the wonders of ‘samba football’ but as my first World Cup was Italia 90, the Brazil I’ve had to watch is double-pivot tactical dourness coupled with a sense of entitlement. It’s like being told about the existence of Jedi when all you see is imperial stormtroopers. But… but… I’ve heard that this time fun Brazil is back. Though I’ve hoped that many times before only to see more Death Star Football.”
I thought they were fun from 1998-2006, albeit shambolic fun a lot of the time. We’ll never see pure jogo bonito again but I think this lot will be fun to watch.
1 min Peep peep! Brazil, in their brilliant yellow strip, get the match under way.Switzerland are in red.
The Brazilian players belt out their anthem, looking infinitely more relaxed than they did at the same stage of the semi-final four years ago. A World Cup never truly begins until Brazil start their first game; that time is now.
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“Oh Rob,” says Phil Podolsky of my all-time Brazil World Cup XI. “Ronaldinho was good in 2002 but there’s a an entire world cup Brazil owes to Romario.”
Yeah but he can’t play left wing, can he? On reflection I’d probably have Zagallo instead of Ronaldinho.
If you’re into the whole England thing, there’s a terrific documentary on BBC2 straight after this game - Managing England: The Impossible Job. It’s by the same people who did that lovely documentary on Euro 96 a couple of years ago. And though this doesn’t have quite the same feelgood warmth, given the subject matter, it’s equally good.
“Yo Rob,” says John Rogers. “Quick question: how many players starting tonight forBrazil were on the field for the 7-1 hammering by Germany four years ago?”
Marcelo is the only man to start both games, though Willian and Paulinho came on against Germany.
“Where’s Bobby, Bobby?” weeps Ian Copestake, in reference to the absence of Roberto Firmino. “Am gutted.”
They prefer Gabriel Jesus. It’s a tactics thing; you don’t wanna go there.
Pick your all-time Brazil World Cup XI!
Here’s mine. It’s based on World Cup performances rather than a whole career, which is why I left out Celio Silva. You can pick yours here.
Some pre-match reading
In case you missed it, the holders Germany lost 1-0 Mexico this afternoon in Moscow. Read all about it, why don’t you.
That result is good news for England. The draw was such that it seemed England could not avoid either Germany or Brazil in the quarter-finals, if they got that far. But if Germany don’t win their group, and England finish second in theirs, then a potential quarter-final would be against a team like Mexico, Serbia or Switzerland rather than Germany. All of which is to say: Arise Sir Harry.
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The teams
Brazil (4-3-3) Alisson; Danilo, Thiago Silva, Miranda, Marcelo; Paulinho, Casemiro, Coutinho; Willian, Gabriel Jesus, Neymar.
Switzerland (4-2-3-1) Sommer; Lichtsteiner, Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Behrami, Xhaka; Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Zuber; Seferovic.
Referee Cesar Arturo Ramos (Mexico).
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Preamble
Never mind Nike; Brazilian football could advertise Nietzsche. Their World Cup story is validation of his old proverb about how what does not destroy us makes us stronger. Their last three wins, in 1970, 1994 and 2002, were emotional redemptions from the misery of the previous tournament: Pele being booted around England like an old sock in 1966,Diego Maradona vaccinating them in 1990, and the Ronaldo mystery of 1998. They will hope that the biblical meltdown of 2014 was merely a sick prologue to a sixth World Cup.
Brazil look relaxed and confident, with none of the mind-altering pressure of four years ago. The coach Tite has guided them back towards a lighter, more Brazilian style of play, while retaining a fair amount of their newfangled solidity. Marcelo is the only survivor in the starting XI from the team that lost 7-1 to Germany, and they qualified for the tournament with ease. They lost only one of their 18 games and finished ten points ahead of second-placed Uruguay.
They should breeze through a relatively easy group that includes Costa Rica, Serbia and tonight’s opponents Switzerland. The Swiss are in impressive form, with 14 wins out of 17 since Euro 2016, but most of those were against C-list opposition. They’ll do well to get anything out of this game.
Unlike most superpowers, Brazil start World Cup groups strongly. It’s 40 years since they failed to win their first game or their first-round group. The first round is just a bit of admin to be done before the real business starts - in this case attempting to win the tournament for the first time since 2002. Sixteen years of hurt in Brazil is the equivalent of about four centuries in most countries. Especially when it includes a trauma like 2014.
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