Ginga, samba and a country called Brazil

Coach Tite has assembled a set of players rich in skill with many of them key members in top European clubs

NEW DELHI: Every four years as the world forgets itself to football, the colour yellow assumes a completely different meaning. It becomes a symbol of joy; of skill; of, perhaps, even madness. It is a jersey colour that immediately conjures up images of some of the greatest players to have graced the game — from Garrincha to Pele, from Zico to Socrates, from Ronaldo to Carlos... — the list is as long and varied as you want it to be for each one of us measures greatness differently.

Before Brazil wore yellow, they failed to win a World Cup. Since 1953, when an 18-year-old newspaper illustrator Aldyr Garcia Schlee won a competition to design the new jersey, they have taken home the trophy a record five times.

“For Brazilians, that yellow jersey is sacred,” Carlos Alberto, captain of the great 1970 World Cup-winning side, once told BBC. “When we wear it, of course we feel pride but it also brings responsibility, a responsibility to inspire and to excite.”

And excite Brazil does. They play with a certain swagger; a creative spirit the Brazilians like to call ginga and almost intrinsically move to the beat of the samba music. So, even when the managers stack them up to play in a conventional way--there is always someone who will go back to their natural style. It makes them hard to predict and harder to stop. If this generation has Neymar, the earlier one had Ronaldinho, and in an almost never-ending list you can add Denilson, Rivellino, Denner, Zico, Garrincha and so many more. They will astound you, make you sit on the edge of your seats and jump out of them too.

Much of their style is attributed to how and where they play in their early years. Brazil is a huge country but it is also one of extreme poverty and many youngsters grow up playing football in the slums and on grounds that don’t have a blade of grass. Playing in such conditions (and also five-a-side Futsal) places a huge emphasis on close control, skill and creative use of space.

“Futsal makes you think fast and play fast,” Pele, who himself began playing futsal for a local team growing up in Bauru in the state of Sao Paolo, once said. “It makes everything easier when you later switch to football.” Even though the top players then graduate to a higher league, the lessons learnt in their early years remain with them and play a huge role in imparting the colour to Brazil’s play that makes them such a joy to behold.

Joy isn’t the only thing Brazil will seek at the World Cup. It is 20 years since the yellow jersey inspired by Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho last lifted the greatest prize in football. And, for the faithful, it clearly has been 20 years too many. There were quarter-final exits in 2006, 2010 and 2018, and a fourthplace

in 2014.

Current form

History matters, especially when one is talking about Brazil, but it doesn’t matter as much as current form, and in that regard Tite’s team are very well placed.

They remained unbeaten through the World Cup qualifying campaign with a historic 45 points from 17 games.

They have played a brand of football that has seen them keep a lot of possession, draw the opposition defence out and then strike quickly. It helps that along with Neymar, they now have the talents of Richarlison, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Gabriel Jesus and more.

If they get it right, they have the mix of experience and youth that will trouble most teams.

Such is the wealth of options up front that Brazil left Liverpool attacker Roberto Firmino out of the squad. It is a decision that may come back to haunt them but they will hope that their midfield helps them avoid the blushes.

Casemiro, Fabinho and Fred lend the solidity needed while Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes could add the creative touch in the midfield.

The defence is all quality as well with players from some of the biggest clubs around.

Thiago Silva and Marquinhos lead the defensive line but Danilo, Eder Millitao and Bremer are also options worth looking at. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and Manchester City’s Ederson are the options under the bar. Opponents will be hardpressed to find a weakness in this team. They don’t cross the ball in a lot but there is enough creativity there to put everyone on alert. If there is one major drawback then it will be that Tite’s side has only played one European side since Russia, a 3-1 friendly win over the Czech Republic.

Most of the squad play with European clubs but will that be enough or will this lack of game time against European opposition hurt them?