It was epic and historic…and it was not the World Cup draw

Indeed, it was fascinating to see how little interest the FIFA event generated in Brazil. Granted, it was an international show. There was little there for Brazil – who as 2014 hosts qualify automatically. There was little there for South America, since the teams play each other in one big league so there is no […]
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sambafoot_admin
2011-08-01 13:00:00

Indeed, it was fascinating to see how little interest the FIFA event generated in Brazil. Granted, it was an international show. There was little there for Brazil – who as 2014 hosts qualify automatically. There was little there for South America, since the teams play each other in one big league so there is no need for a draw.

 

So it was an event followed far more closely in Europe, Africa, Asia and the CONCACAF region. Brazil had a chance to showcase its culture – not particularly well exploited with some poor musical interludes. For the local press there were some items of interest – a march of supporters protesting against long term CBF president Ricardo Teixeira, or the political intrigue and the speculation that President Dilma Roussef also has little time for Teixeira. The dates of the 2014 World Cup were fixed. The noises coming out of FIFA are becoming more positive in terms of Brazil’s state of preparation.

 

And another issue is the growing realisation of the burdens of staging the party. For FIFA the World Cup is low risk – they sustain their organisation from selling the TV rights. For the host country, life is full of obligations – such as having to pay for the draw ceremony, at a cost of 30 million Reais.

 

But these are inevitably secondary issues in the sports press – an event three years in the future can hardly compete for attention with a Brazilian Championship in full swing, with a depth of quality better than in recent years – especially when it produces a game like last Wednesday’s clash between Santos and Flamengo. All the words at the top of the article were used to describe this match, where Santos were leading 3-0 only for Flamengo to hit back and win 5-4.

 

I had just got back that afternoon from covering the Copa America in Argentina. I was tired and looking forward to relaxing for a couple of days and not thinking too much about football. But I had the game on TV and was watching out of the corner of my eye – until the drama unfolded and I ended up with both eyes glued to the screen.

 

There was always the chance of history in the making. On one side was Neymar, the boy prince of the Brazilian game. On the other, Ronaldinho, the goofy genius who scaled the mountain and enchanted the world, only to slip back down again.

 

Every time I go away I am struck by the extraordinary volatility of the domestic Brazilian game. Turn your back for a month and you are completely out of date. Lots of the coaches have changed, teams that were flying high are now deemed to be in crisis – and in the course of this month, Ronaldinho had started to redeem himself.

 

It is fair to say that his performances in the first half of the year had been disappointing, even though Flamengo won the Rio State title and were rarely beaten. He was not tipping the balance – as for example, Ronaldo had done when he first joined Corinthians. And Ronaldinho was younger and with no history of serious injuries.

 

Some said that it was unfair to expect him to be the player he once was. But he was being paid the wages of a top European star. He only turned 31 in March. If an aged Petkovic could pass Flamengo to the national title in 2009, if slightly built Argentine playmaker Dario Conca, little known in the land of his birth, could shine in Fluminense’s 2010 championship win, then why couldn’t Ronaldinho do something similar?

 

Perhaps the main reason is that for a while he was hardly interested. His priorities seem to lay elsewhere. Then, just before I left for the Copa America, something interesting happened. In the last few minutes of another poor performance in a local derby against Botafogo, Flamengo coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo substituted Ronaldinho – it seems for the sole reason of ensuring that he listened to the boos from the crowd as he left the pitch.

 

Perhaps this was the thing that finally turned a key in his mind. Ever since his form suffered a slump at Barcelona there had been complaints that Ronaldinho was impossible to reach. His clubs tried to shake him out of it with praise, and then with criticism – and there was no reaction. Public humiliation, it seems, has made the difference at last.

 

After a month away, the Ronaldinho I saw on my return was a changed man – participative, inspired, motivated.

 

Taking on Neymar was clearly an extra motivation – it was if the baton was passing from one generation to the next. But, Ronaldinho wanted to say, it does not have to be passed just yet. He is not finished.

 

Santos were soon three up, with Neymar inspired – one of his goals came with a dribble round experienced centre back Ronaldo Angelim that was miraculously improvised in a fraction of a second.

 

But even while Santos were dominant, Ronaldinho was looking dangerous. Rather than the peripheral figure of earlier in the year, he was looking to get involved close to the opposing goal, seeking to take defenders on and shoot.

 

His persistence was rewarded with his first goal – the ball fell to him three metres out after an error in the Santos defence. But he was there to take advantage. The Ronaldinho of a couple of months ago would have been standing on the half way line with his hands on his hips.

 

His third goal – the winner – came with a slight deflection. But again, he reaped the benefits of taking the game to the opposition, of getting himself into a position from where he could cause damage.

 

And the second was a work of genius, one that he had already shown in his Barcelona heyday. His dribble won a free kick on the edge of the area. Anticipating a curler over the top, the wall jumped – allowing him to roll the ball underneath them and into the bottom corner.

 

It was indeed epic, historic, extraordinary, magnificent, brilliant, marvellous, incredible and sensational. And it had nothing to do with the 2014 World Cup – unless , of course, Ronaldinho’s form forces an international recall, and he can manage to keep this form going for another three years.

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sambafoot_admin
Aug 01, 2011