3 World Cup winners enthral fans in Dubai
dubai — With the ball glued to his feet, the Brazilian Ronaldo was an unstoppable force in the late 1990s, embarrassing the world’s greatest defenders with his pace, step-overs and that ridiculous ability to score from any position.
But eight years after hanging up his boots, ‘El Fenomeno’ (The Phenomenon) couldn’t dribble past a crowd of fans who wanted a selfie with one of the greatest footballers of all time.
The Brazilian shared the stage with France’s 2018 World Cup heroes Didier Deschamps and Blaise Matuidi at the 13th Dubai International Sports Conference on Wednesday.
It was a day the Dubai football aficionados will never forget as the three World Cup winners on the stage opened up about their greatest triumphs.
“I always wanted to become the best player in the world. I won so many things and I also lost some battles. But I have no regrets,” said Ronaldo.
“I always took football as a challenge. I was injured so many times. It was like a punishment. But I kept fighting back,” said the legendary striker who overcame a career-threatening injury to score eight goals in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup triumph.
Deschamps, who became only the third man to win the World Cup as a player and as a coach, was a member of that French team that stunned Ronaldo’s Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 World Cup final in Paris.
“It was a massacre. They didn’t give us a chance that night,” Ronaldo smiled. “I have only respect for France. You know, France also beat Brazil in 1986 and 2006. And we were lucky in 2002 because France were knocked out of the Group stages and it became easy for us to win!”
Deschamps, on the other hand, didn’t shy away from admitting that winning the next World Cup is his team’s ambition.
“Winning the World Cup in Russia was a great emotional experience. It’s something that you can’t describe. But can we win again? It’s obviously difficult to win two World Cups in a row, but we have a very good team and we will try our best,” he said.
“Also the Euro 2020 is another big target for our team. We have young players who are very talented,” said Deschamps who faced massive criticism after his team lost the 2016 Euro final on home soil to Portugal.
“Criticism is part of football. I am used to it. I select 23 players — players that I think will give their all for the team. It’s also about selecting players that believe in team harmony,” he said, referring to Karim Benzema’s omission over his alleged involvement in a plot to blackmail French teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
Matuidi then revealed the secret to French success in Russia.
“We were like a family. There was a beautiful harmony in the team and that’s why we were so strong,” the Juventus star said.