PVC: The birthday of penta – 06/29/2023 – PVC

It was on June 30, 2002, at 8 am, exactly 21 years ago, the victory that produced this sentence on the front page of Sheet: “Brazil beats Germany by 2 x 0 and consolidates hegemony in football”.

On this penta anniversary, we can only ask why we don’t win more. The majority of the title coincides with Manchester City’s first Champions League victory. One thing has nothing to do with the other – and everything to do.

Football has changed address. She left South America and traveled to Europe, having won four of the last five World Cups.

City is an Arab club based in England, European champion climbing two Englishmen, two Portuguese, one Brazilian, one Swiss, one Dutch, one German, one Spanish, one Belgian and one Norwegian, born in Leeds, United Kingdom.

21 years ago, the team had four from São Paulo, two from Minas Gerais, one from Pernambuco, one from Rio Grande do Sul, one from Rio de Janeiro, one from Paraná and one born in the Federal District.

The world has changed more than football.

After the Bosman affair, which turned clubs into multinational teams, Brazilian stars went global. Brazil baller, no. Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Cafu sit at the table with the European elite. Our coaches and club presidents do not. Despite the success of executives such as Edu Gaspar, at Arsenal, and Thiago Scuro, now at Monaco.

The number of nations able to play well increased, as happened before in basketball, a sport in which Brazil rose from international respect to ostracism. In football, we remain in the elite, but lost to Croatia, France, Germany, Belgium and Holland.

It can be improved.

In 2001, a year before the world title against the Germans, Brazil lost to Honduras. Many prophets of the apocalypse predicted the end. Captain Carlos Alberto Torres gave interviews saying that Brazilian football had reached its worst moment. It was similar when Brazil lost its first Qualifiers game, in 1993, to Bolivia.

All the major crises in the national team were the result of rapid renewals, with no transition from one generation to another.

The current one belongs to another family. It is not a lack of talent. They exist. They leave Brazil early for Europe, but we keep discovering extraclasses.

It is the only country with players in every Champions League final in the 21st century. But it only won one Cup in the century.

Every year a European fan celebrates a Brazilian star.

And we, nothing.

Today marks 21 years, the majority of our disability.

We celebrate dominance in the Libertadores, the best suburban tournament in the world. And nobody supports Brazilian clubs in Quito, Lima, Buenos Aires…

“If the NBA or the Brazilian Championship did not exist, I would associate myself with soccer in Brazil. It is more global than basketball in the United States.” The phrase is from an investor interested in buying the alloy.

21 years ago, we thought Brazil was the underdog of the Cup, and the selection was fifth. Ah, but there was Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho Gaúcho. Yes, but we lost to Honduras and, on the eve of the Cup, we thought that the good guys in that tournament were Zidane, Figo and Batistuta.

Few believed that Ronaldo would be capable of doing what he did: eight goals, top scorer and champion.

Today, what Brazil lacks are not decisive players.

We still have Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, even Neymar.

Lack of work and coherence.

Today is the day to remember the achievement of 2002.

Also remembering that football has already entered the 21st century.

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