Goalkeeper for the Seleção – a dream job?

By Marc Fremont   It was reserved for those with two left feet; it was the position of shame. We could think that maybe it was due the culture of football. But most likely it was because of a certain lack of necessity: the Seleção managed to win titles with nearly empty goals.   Nevertheless, […]
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sambafoot_admin
2011-06-20 12:35:00

By Marc Fremont

 

It was reserved for those with two left feet; it was the position of shame. We could think that maybe it was due the culture of football. But most likely it was because of a certain lack of necessity: the Seleção managed to win titles with nearly empty goals.

 

Nevertheless, it should also be remembered that it is a position with high risks. A good example was the faith of Bardosa after the 1950 World Cup. Football is a game, but Barbosa had to endure the consequences in his private life. It is also important to remember that despite the recent eye-opening on the importance of a goalkeeper, Brazil didn’t always have bad keepers. We think, for example, of the very talented Gilmar who played during the first years of the king Pele.

 

But it is true that between Felix and Waldir Peres, the Seleção didn’t have a real specialist. This wasn’t without consequences, for example the defeat against Italy in 1982, even if we can’t blame it all on Waldir Peres. The first change appeared in 1986 with Carlos. He was unlucky against France in the penalty shoot out, but he had more talent than his predecessor.

 

The real change came with Claudio Taffarel and the start of specific training for goalkeepers. Right from the start, Taffarel made an impact by winning the Brazilian Ballon d’Or in 1988, and then by shining in the Olympic Games of the same year saving penalties. This would then become his trademark.

 

He was one of the few Brazilian Goalkeepers of the time to go abroad: from Reggiana to Galatasaray via Parma. And the Turkish club hasn’t forgotten about him, as he has just been hired as the coach for the keepers.

 

Despite his talent he didn’t have an easy career and had to face the critics. He also had to face the arrival of new talent, such as Zeti and Dida. He had his weaknesses, nobody can deny it, especially in catching the ball or aerial crosses. Nevertheless the coaches trusted him as he had an incredible influence on others and on the game, with quick reflexes on his line and strong ability for stopping penalties. During ten years he received a number of prizes which were often created for him.

 

In the 1994 World Cup final he was considered as the saviour of the nation. With a remarkable save on a shot by Massaro and by stopping one penalty, it was as if he offered the cup to Brazil.

 

The game he will be remembered for will surely be the one against Holland in the semi-final of the 1998 World Cup. During the game he kept Brazil in the match with save after save, and when it came the penalties he stopped three of the Dutch shots. The irony was his weaknesses appearing during the final, as he was poor at dealing with corner kicks and France scored two goals from corners.

 

On the European scene, he was the man of the match for the final of the 2000 UEFA Cup that his club Galatasaray won. He wasn’t just a name in a winning team; he was one of the reasons for a team to win. After 101 caps, his long list of trophies includes important titles such as the 1993 Coupe des Vainqueurs and the 1997 Copa America. Despite the victories he always showed great modesty in his interviews.

 

Nevertheless, because of him, Brazil had understood that a good goalkeeper was important for a team to win. In 2002, Marcos was instrumental in the victory in Japan and Korea. He arrived in the starting eleven just before the World Cup, making himself noticed in the qualifiers that weren’t easy as the Seleção was going through some troubles at the time.

 

And then there was his “special game,” against Belgium. The Seleção had troubles before scoring two goals just before the end of the game. But Marcos was the Belgian strikers’ nightmare. And if they managed to score, the referee wouldn’t validate it. As if Ronaldo’s two goals in the final weren’t bad enough for the Germans, Marcos made an incredible save on a free kick. For Gemany, who thought Oliver Kahn would be their saviour, there was no more hope. But Marcos disappeared as quickly as appeared: after the World Cup he played for a short time in Palmeiras and then we never saw him again.

 

It was Dida’s time. After a few years on the bench, the 2006 World Cup was Dida’s. He was very similar to Heurelho Gomes: capable of performing miracles but then messing it up the next second. Playing for AC Milan, he was either considered as a clown or an unbreakable wall, and was therefore the hero of the Champions League finals of 2003 and 2007 as well as being responsible for the painful defeat against Liverpool in 2005.

 

He can’t be blamed for the elimination from the 2006 World Cup. It seems unrealistic to ask a keeper to save a volley by Thierry Henry free of all defenders three metres away from the goal. Brazil lost that game but the score could have been much worse if it wasn’t for Dida. And in the end, unlike Taffarel, Dida ended his career with a list of trophies similar as the one of an outfield player.

 

After Dida, the position was empty. Doni was considered but finally Dunga gave his trust to Julio Cesar, who wasn’t inexperienced, as he had won the Copa America in 2004. Julio Cesar is often compared to Gilmar and it is often said that he is the best of all the keepers we have talked about so far. He had a special charisma that gave him a special status. He had a good season in 2008 but was then one of the most important players in Inter’s campaigns in 2009 and 2010, and was therefore considered as the best. With the national team he also had good games in friendlies and during qualification.

 

But in the end the scenario was too good to be true. He lost his form at the worst possible time: the 2010 World Cup. Despite a good match against Portugal, the goal scored by North Korea was the beginning of the end. The breaking point came against Holland: a bad decision resulted in the first Dutch goal and broke the team’s psychological balance. If the media focused their criticism on Dunga and Felipe Melo, Julio Cesar had a part of the responsibility for Brazil’s elimination. Unlike the other two, Cesar cried when he arrived at the airport in Brazil and asked for forgiveness.

 

Today he is back in the spotlight. Firstly because despite a few mistake, his talent is undeniable, but a few injuries have brought ups and downs to his season. Secondly because there is no replacement yet. The option of Victor didn’t work and young talent like Felipe and Renan haven’t had their chances yet. Finally, it must be said that Cesar recently came back to his best football. His first game since the World Cup was against France and he was arguably the best Brazilian player on the pitch. He had his revenge against Holland in a friendly where twice he saved his team and managed to ensure a goalless draw.

 

The question still remains: is Julio Cesar the solution in the long run? Knowing that his back hurts regularly, the answer is not obvious. In 2014 he will be 35, bearing in mind that against keepers like Van Der Sar he will still be young. But on the other side of the coin keepers like Buffon are the examples of the bad consequences of age. But one thing is for sure: Brazil has a young defence and they could use an experienced keeper in which they can trust. But as long as the younger generation doesn’t come up, and his main challengers, Gomes and Helton, carry on being alternatively praised and mocked, Julio Cesar seems like the safe option.

 

Translated into English by Vincent Huck.

It was reserved for those with two left foot, it was the position of shame. We could think that maybe it was due the culture of football. But most likely it was because of a certain unnecessity: the selecao managed to win titles with nearly empty goals.

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