The Koreans defended stoutly for the entirety of the game, frustrating Dunga’s side and restricting them to relatively few chances, preventing the huge victory which was expected by many pundits due to the difference of 104 FIFA ranking places between the two teams.

This great determination in Korea’s defence kept Brazil’s constant waves of attacks at bay until the 55^th minute, when Maicon’s sensational, swerving strike found the net from a near impossible angle on the right hand side of the box having picked up an Elano pass through the defence.

Maicon’s incredible strike finally broke the deadlock

This calmed Brazil down, and with 18 minutes left to play, the fantastic Robinho played Elano in on goal with a perfectly weighted pass, and the Galatasaray man took the chance exceptionally, tucking the ball neatly in the corner with his instep with a fine and composed first time finish.

Goals for Brazil were very much expected, but a goal for North Korea had not been predicted. However, this is was transpired as the brilliantly courageous Jong Tae-se, who cried during the playing the North Korean national anthem which summed up his immense commitment to his countries cause, cushioned a deft header back for Ji Yun-nam. Yun-nam took the ball expertly with a perfect first-touch and powered into the Brazil box and continued this with a confident effort which drilled past Julio Cesar in the Brazil goal.

The gutsy Tae-se was the only occasional threat to Lucio and Juan in the Brazil defence, as he constantly closed down his opponents and ran with the ball at pace at the defence whenever he could, as well as never giving up any lost balls.

Tae-se didn’t give the Brazil defence a seconds rest

The rest of the North Korea side lacked any sort of attacking force. Their system of two defensive midfielders protecting five defenders at the back was intended to restrict any Brazil attacks, which worked for the vast majority of the first half, as the South Americans were forced to shoot from range from the likes of Robinho, Maicon, Michel Bastos and Elano, although creating no real clear cut chances.

Brazil’s attacking prowess was reduced by a less than convincing display from the out-of-form Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano. Although Fabiano has an impressive international goals record, he hasn’t found the net in his last six games. His best effort was a left-footed strike which was blazed over after more impressive build up play from Robinho who has a constant creative influence.

The Manchester City forward, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Brazilian club Santos, was at the hub of Brazil’s attacks as everything went through him as he justified his inclusion in Dunga’s squad. He was the centre of the attacks rather than Kaka, who looks to be continuing his poor club season at Real Madrid with a highly disappointing start to the World Cup.

Kaka’s performance is one of the largest concern for Dunga

Brazil also seemed to lack poignancy in their forward plays by a lack of width created by the midfield; the wider midfielders Elano and Robinho were given license to roam, and so spent the majority of the match in more central positions, meaning that Brazil relied upon full-backs Michel Bastos and Maicon for width by booming forward. This appeared not to be working for most of the game, but lead to the opening goal.

Despite only winning this game by a margin which was much smaller than expected, Brazil did dominate this match with much higher figures of possession and shots than their Korean counterparts. North Korea also set up to frustrate Dunga’s men to such an extent that is unlikely to be faced again, so it would be unwise to remove Brazil as favourites to win the competition. They will have to disprove some doubters in their next game however, which will be a much tougher test against Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Ivory Coast.

BRAZIL 2 (Maicon 55, Elano 72)

Team: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Juan, Michel Bastos; Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo (Ramires 84); Elano (Daniel Alves 73), Kaka (Nilmar 78), Robinho; Luis Fabiano

Substitutes: Gomes, Doni, Daniel, Luisao, Thiago Silva, Gilberto, Josué, Ramires, Julio Baptista, Kleberson, Nilmar, Grafite

Booked: Ramires    

NORTH KOREA (Yun-Nam 89)

Team: Kim Myong Gil; Cha Jong Hyok, Ri Jun Il, Ri Kwang Chon, Pak Chol Jin, Nam Song Chol; An Yong Hak, Kim Yong Jun, Mun In Guk; Hong Yong Jo, Jong Tae Se

Substitutes: Myong-Gil Kim, Myong-Won Kim, Nam-Chol Pak, Song-Chol Nam, Kwang-Hyok Ri, K-I Kim, Yong-Jun Kim, Chol-Myong Ri, Kyong-Il Kim, Sung Hyok Pak, Chol-Hyok An, Kum-Chol Choe

•  

  Booked: None

Portugal are the classic example of a team that’s outstanding on paper, but very average in practice. This is a team with either the best or second best player in the world in its starting XI depending on who you talk to. They are managed by former Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz. Queiroz has been criticized as not being up to the head managing task after his currents struggles, coupled with a failed stint at Real Madrid in 2003.

Despite having a squad filled with world-renowned players from top-class Champions League teams, the main man being Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, qualifying was a huge struggle for them. They backed into this World Cup after beating Bosnia in the playoff round of European qualifying. They snuck into the playoff spot by finishing one point ahead of Sweden in Europe’s Group 1. This group also included Malta, Hungary, Denmark, and Albania.

Maicon was on the score sheet the last time these sides met

Interestingly, the conveyer belt of forward talent which has been churned out of the country in recent years has not yielded a world class striker. As a result, they generally play with one pure forward up top, which will most likely to be Brazilian born Sporting Lisbon striker Liédson. They scored seventeen goals and allowed only five during qualifying. Without their two 4-0 wins over Malta, the Portuguese only managed a measly nine goals in ten matches. Another extremely worrying statistic is that Ronaldo, despite enjoying a remarkable campaign in Madrid, didn’t manage a single goal or assist during qualification. If Portugal are to achieve their potential, Queiroz must get the best out of the formal United number 7.

Ronaldo will be the main threat for Brazil

Another problem facing Queiroz is the injury and subsequent removal from the squad of Manchester United winger Nani, who would have been a starter. Instead, he will be replaced in the line-up by Zenit St. Petersburg forward Danny, who has impressed in the warm-up matches, especially during the 3-0 win over Mozambique. Another friendly was a comfortable 3-1 victory over Cameroon, but prior to this was possibly the low point of Portugal’s underperforming run; a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, currently ranked 114 in the world by FIFA, footballs world governing body.

In these two nations’ last encounter, Portugal travelled to Brasilia, and might have well not even boarded their plane across the Atlantic. Brazil absolutely crushed the Portuguese 6-2, with highlights being sensational goals from Elano and Maicon.

Something which may work in Portugal’s favour in this game however is that should Brazil win their first two games as expected, they may be tempted to rotate their XI entirely to rest the big names. Portugal, however, may well be still needing points to progress, and so may be more motivated and may put out a stronger team for the encounter.

Danny has established himself as a starter after some impressive performances

Portugal’s lack of goals will be a major concern for them coming into a game against Brazil, who have now gained a reputation as having an extremely well-organised and solid defence. Also, their main strength, in the pace of the wings, can be matched by the physicality of Brazil full-backs Michel Bastos and Maicon.

Prediction: You cannot count out a squad with this type of talent, no matter what the form says. However, Brazil do look a must stronger outfit, and they are expected to get something, despite playing a weaker side if they have won their first two matches. Brazil 1-1 Portugal.

Brazil Line-Up (possible, 4-2-2-2)

Doni; Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, Luisao, Gilberto; Kleberson, Josué; Baptista, Ramires; Grafite, Nilmar

Portugal Line-Up (possible, 4-3-3)

Eduardo; Miguel, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Coentrão; Pedro Mendes, Raul Meireles, Deco; Ronaldo, Liédson, Danny

The Ivory Coast is a nation with some of the world’s most recognizable talent on its roster. However, despite the big names, the team as a whole has been an underachiever at recent big tournaments.

Brazil’s match against the Ivory Coast could be their first real test of the tournament

For example, four years ago, after reaching the final of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, they could not get out of their World Cup group of death that featured the Netherlands, Argentina, and Serbia, so their early exit could seen as understandable considering the difficulty of the hand they were dealt.

However, it was the performance in those matches that left some shaking their heads. They lost 2-1 to both the Netherlands and Argentina in very poor fashion, making the 3-2 victory of Serbia meaningless as the Elephants were already staring elimination in the face. This was their only appearance so far at the World Cup

Four years later at the 2010 African Cup of Nations, same story, losing 3-2 to Algeria in the quarterfinals. This came after dropping two points against Burkina Faso in the group stage. Following this performance in Angola, the Elephants fired their manager Vahid Halilhodzic and replaced him with former England manger Sven-Göran Eriksson, who had recently been made redundant after his dismissal as the Mexico national side manager.

Eriksson has a group of talented players at his disposal.

With Eriksson on board as manager, it is probable his side will play a conservative 4-3-3. He has called up six forwards for the World Cup, which reinforces the probability of this formation.

It was a very solid qualifying campaign before the Africa Cup of Nations failure. In the final round of qualifying the team went 5-1-0, with 19 goals scored against 4 allowed. However, it should be noted that the nation got a favourable draw that featured Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Malawi.

In terms of individual quality, there is a huge gulf in class between North Korea and Ivory Coast, who boast such names as the Toure brothers (Kolo and Yaya), as well as Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou and former Tottenham Hotspur centre midfielder Didier Zokora.

The big worry for the Elephants, however, is the fitness of star striker and captain Didier Drogba. The Chelsea hitman broke his elbow in a collision with Japanese centre back Tulio Tanaka in a pre-tournament friendly in Switzerland and required surgery on his arm, but Eriksson remains optimistic that Drogba could return ahead of schedule.

It had been initially feared Drogba may miss the entire tournament.

“If it had been today or tomorrow, he wouldn’t play,” said Eriksson ahead of the 15 June clash against Portugal.

“But there are still some days – he might play against them [Portugal].”

Given Eriksson’s hopeful attitude towards his main man being fit to play against the Portuguese, it would seem extremely likely that the Premier League top scorer will be ready to face Dunga’s Brazil in Johannesburg.

Drogba could well be in for a long afternoon, if this seasons UEFA Champions League was anything to go by, as when Drogba’s Chelsea met Internazionale in the quarter finals of the competition, the 32-year-old striker found himself neutralised by Inter, and Brazil, centre-back Lucio, during both legs of the tie as Inter ran out 3-1 winners on aggregate. Should this incident reoccur, Eriksson’s side will find it difficult to break down the stubborn South Americans.

After their 2-0 victory over Japan, the Ivorian’s struggled to a 1-1 draw against Swiss second division side Lausanne. Eriksson’s men clearly lacked the presence of captain Drogba, and missed a host of chances in their final warm up match.

The Africans do present a challenge however, due to their top-class experience and quality. They have a strong spine to their team, as well as having plenty of players with a physical presence. Their pitfall, however, could be an over-reliance on Drogba, and a lack of a creative spark; they don’t have a player who can consistently slice open defences with a killer pass.

Prediction: This could be said to be Brazil’s most difficult match in the group stage, due to North Korea and Portugal’s lack of big names and form respectively, but a match they should take all three points from. Brazil 2-1 Ivory Coast.

Brazil Line-Up (possible, 4-2-2-2)

Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Juan, Michel Bastos; Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo; Elano, Kaka; Robinho, Luis Fabiano

Ivory Coast Line-Up (possible, 4-3-3)

Barry; Eboue, Toure, Meite, Boka; Zokora, Demel, Toure; Kalou, Drogba, Gervinho

Labelled the overwhelming favourites prior to the match, Brazil will be expected to win by a sizable margin, as this is the first World Cup which North Korea will be attending since 1966, where they reached the quarter-finals.

After topping their South American qualifying group, Brazil are among the favourites to lift the trophy in Johannesburg. Dunga’s side boasts quality throughout the squad, ranging from world-class goalkeeper Julio Cesar to the clinical Luis Fabiano.

Can Robinho’s magic inspire Brazil to a sixth title?

Brazil’s pre-tournament friendlies have gone well, starting with a convincing 3-0 win over Zimbabwe, and has since been followed up with an equally dominant 5-1 victory over Tanzania.

North Korea, on the other hand, are an enigma, as very little is known about them at all. They do however have a young side that is full of energy, and as this is the biggest occasion of any of the player’s career, they are sure to be extremely motivated to show the world that they are no pushovers.

The North Korean fans may not have much to cheer about in South Africa

This has been shown by the Koreans in their pre-tournament friendlies, which began with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against the hosts South Africa. This was followed up with a very close 1-0 loss to Paraguay, who won courtesy of a late Roque Santa Cruz penalty. Despite the slightly fortuitous nature of this victory, Paraguay out classed Korea and deserved their win. Their final warm up game, a 3-1 loss to Nigeria, was marred by stampeding outside the stadium prior to the game in which 20 people were injured and taken to hospital. North Korea were impressive however in a 2-2 draw with 2004 European Champions Greece.

These warm up matches did show us the main focus of Korea’s tactics, which rely on defensive solidity. They play with a flat back four, two midfielders protecting this defence, as well as an additional sweeper behind the defence covering. For attacks, they will look to counterattack at pace. They will make little attempt to come and play against Brazil.

Their star player could be said to be Jong Tae-se, has been described as the North Korean Wayne Rooney due to his physicality and bulldog like approach to the game, and he is coming in to form at the right time as he scored both Korea goals in the aforementioned draw with Greece.

Jong Tae-se – the North Korean Rooney

This will be the first time that Brazil will have faced North Korea. North Korea is a very closed communist country (their Government announced that the World Cup will be censored, and only images favourable to the country will be aired – which means that it is likely that the Cup will not exist for Korean citizens), and very seldom performs in non-official matches.

Coincidentally, Brazil is one of the countries in the world which best knows the football in North Korea. There is a team, currently disputing the Second Division in Sao Paulo, called Clube Atletico Sorocaba; in 2000, Atletico Sorocaba was purchased by Reverend Moon, a controversial religious leader born in Korea. Thanks to these connections, Atletico Sorocaba played a friendly match against the North Korea national team in November of 2009, which finished 0-0.

In only World Cup in which North Korea competed, Korea lost to Soviet Union, tied with Chile, but got through the group stage by causing one of the great World Cup shocks by beating giants Italy. In the quarter-finals, Korea lost to Portugal 5-3, after having been 3-0 up.

North Korea’s victory over Italy in 1966 was one of the World Cup’s greatest upsets.

Dunga said in an interview that North Korea shall be a cause for concern due to the fact that so little is known of them. Besides the surprising role in England 1966, Korea also surprised the world by winning Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Qualifying, and by winning recent FIFA World Cup for Young Women.

Despite this interview, Dunga and the rest of the world will be expecting an emphatic victory against this unknown entity, as much stiffer opposition in the shape of the Ivory Coast and Portugal follows this encounter.

Prediction: North Korea show plenty of spirit and frustrate Brazil to begin with, but are eventually broken down and the flood gates open. Brazil 3-0 North Korea.

Brazil Line-Up (possible, 4-2-2-2)

Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Juan, Michel Bastos; Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo; Elano, Kaka; Robinho, Luis Fabiano

North Korea Line-Up (possible, 5-3-2)

Kim Myong Gil; Cha Jong Hyok, Ri Jun Il, Ri Kwang Chon, Pak Chol Jin, Nam Song Chol; An Yong Hak, Kim Yong Jun, Mun In Guk; Hong Yong Jo, Jong Tae Se

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Doni (AS Roma), Gomes (Tottenham Hotspur)

Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Michel Bastos (Olympique Lyon), Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Lucio (Inter Milan), Juan (AS Roma), Luisao (Benfica), Thiago Silva (AC Milan)

Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos), Felipe Melo (Juventus), Ramires (Benfica), Elano (Galatasaray), Kaka (Real Madrid), Julio Baptista (Roma), Kleberson (Flamengo), Josué (VfL Wolfsburg).

Forwards: Robinho (Santos), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Nilmar (Villarreal), Grafite (VfL Wolfsburg)

Although it would be foolish to say that Brazil are lacking the stereotypical flair and creativity which is associated with their football team with such adventurous full-backs and ball wizards such as Robinho and Kaka, the omission of Ronaldinho, can be seen as a statement of intent from manager Dunga that this side will not be bullied out of a win.

Dunga’s side will be a tough proposition for anybody

The goalkeepers, especially first choice Julio Cesar, offer greater quality than we are accustomed to seeing from the 5-time champions. The Internazionale No. 1 has been talked of by some experts as now also being the world’s No. 1, and Roma ‘keeper Doni is also an extremely capable deputy who has many years of top level experience. Gomes is, as many Premier League followers will know, a ‘keeper capable of fantastic saves, but also of horrendous errors, a feature of his game which may force him to the back of the queue to be between in the sticks.

The defence could be said to be looking somewhat typical of a Brazilian defence, with quality no doubt there, but a doubt hanging over certain elements, such as the discipline of centre backs like Lucio and Thiago Silva. Also, there is a doubt over the left-backs, as Gilberto is past his best and was never a world-beater anyway, and Michel Bastos is unproven at the highest level, despite scoring a stunning free-kick in today’s friendly over Zimbabwe.

There is controversy surrounding the midfield selection, with five players selected who play a defensive role. This indicates Dunga’s desire to play with two holding midfielders. A couple of these have question marks over them at the moment though, for example Felipe Melo had a dreadful season with Juventus, and Kleberson and Gilberto Silva are simply not the players they were. However, some of players such as Ramires are extremely versatile and can fill a number of holes should they appear across the team throughout the tournament.

Despite Felipe Melo’s poor season with Juventus, he is still an integral part of Dunga’s plans

There is class with the more attacking options in midfield, most notably with Kaka, but Elano is also extremely talented, and although Baptista is erratic, he does possess great ability and is again versatile. With only these three chosen, along with the five more defensive options, the decision to leave Ronaldinho behind is more perplexing, as he would have added class and experience to the squad. Diego, despite a poor first season in Serie A with Juventus, could have also been an option.

Robinho could be said to be the surprise inclusion out of the strikers, chosen above the gifted Milan forward Pato, despite having an awful start to the season in Manchester and then being out shone by Neymar in Santos. It is well documented, however, that he has terrific natural ability and can turn a game in an instant with a moment of magic.

Can Robinho fulfil his potential in South Africa?

Nilmar and Grafite both are relatively unproven at this level, but both have had decent seasons with Villarreal and Wolfsburg respectively, and will both be a threat to any side if they continue this form. Luis Fabiano stands out as the key man upfront, as he has the physical and technical qualities to rip even the best teams apart and lead the line fantastically.

The squad does look to fill the positions for the system which Dunga will employ, a counterattacking style, with two defensive midfielders giving the 4 more attacking players licence to play. The major worry though seems to be the lack of attacking midfield options. Should Kaka or Elano be unavailable at any point, Brazil will look extremely thin on the ground in this area.

Through this article, I will identify the three key players who, in my opinion, could provide this for Dunga’s Brazil squad in South Africa this summer.

Kaka

There’s no point in trying to be controversial, Kaka will be the most crucial player to Brazil’s hopes to add to their five titles. Real Madrid’s fantastically talented playmaker not only creates chances, but is equally adept at finishing them off.

Blessed with natural ability, as well as pace and strength, he is also remarkably composed, and exhibits excellent leadership qualities. He was tipped to be the next AC Milan captain after the retirement of Paolo Maldini before his £58 million move to Madrid last summer. All of these qualities combined make the ex-Sao Paulo star the complete package; the perfect modern playmaker who combines Brazilian technique and flair with European physicality.

Rated widely as one of the very top players on the planet, the 28 year old has been eclipsed by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the last two seasons, but he should be coming into his best years, and this World Cup is a real chance for the to propel himself back to the summit of world football.

During qualification and the Confederations Cup (where Kaka won the best player award), Dunga’s defensive, counterattacking style has hinged on the pace and intelligence of Kaka in finding the killer pass when his side need it most; he is the fulcrum for Brazil’s attacks.

In short, without Kaka, Brazil’s chances of winning in Johannesburg are most certainly damaged.

Lucio

For Brazil to have a successful attempt at pulling off this counterattack game, the defence needs to be as solid as possible, to act as the foundations on which Kaka’s stylish attacks can be built.

Lucio is the linchpin for this side of Brazil, and is coming off the back of an excellent season for Internazionale in which his team won the treble. He took part in a defence which showed real class on numerous occasions, most notably during the Champions League ties against Chelsea and Barcelona, where he helped to not only keep out such esteemed players as Frank Lampard, Dider Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Messi, Ibrahimovic and Xavi, but to nullify them so they didn’t even look like the world class players they did for the rest of the season.

Quite apart from being a defender of very high quality, he is a defender who could only be Brazilian, one who relishes getting forward and joining in the attacks. His work rate when getting back is also a key part to his game, so that a hole is rarely created in the heart of the defence.

Luis Fabiano

This may be seen as a controversial choice, as I have chosen Fabiano over the goalkeeper who many consider to have usurped Gianluigi Buffon as the best in the world, but to win matches, a team must score goals, and in matches where a side may only get one chance, it is essential that a team with ambitions to win has an all-action forward who can put away that one chance.

Luis Fabiano is that striker for Brazil.

For all of Kaka’s creative plays and Lucio’s courageous defending, if Brazil don’t score then they simply cannot win. It is especially crucial that the striker can finish well in a counterattacking system as swift attacks are likely to end with the striker having an attempt at goal.

Fabiano possesses all the qualities that are so essential to lead the line in a crunch World Cup semi-final, pace, power, ariel presence, fine technique, and classy finishing to boot.

His importance is also shown by how Brazil don’t particularly have another striker who is of the same mould has the Sevilla forward; you could argue that he is the one irreplaceable element in the squad, as there are other flair playmakers to replace Kaka and defenders to replace Lucio, and although they obviously won’t be as good as the main men in those positions, they would be able to mimic their play so Brazil wouldn’t have to alter their style, whereas the removal of severe lack of form of Fabiano would leave Brazil with a huge hole to fill.

But it’s not just about the success. The swagger and style with which Brazil has sauntered to these victories has bewitched the rest of the watching world speechless for more than a decade.

The start of Brazil’s world cup adventure didn’t show this promise however, as they were knocked out in the first stage of the 1930 tournament in Uruguay despite battering Bolivia 4-0, due to a 2-1 loss to Yugoslavia. The same fate was also suffered four years later in Italy, as Brazil fell in the first round 3-1 to Spain.

A change in fortunes began in France in 1938, as Brazil, with stars such as defender Domingos da Guia and talented forward Leonidas da Silva, reached the semi-final stage, where they were beaten by eventual champions and holders Italy.

1950 was to be, some experts say, the most important World Cup in the country’s history. Hosting it, the nation felt that this was their identity, and football could show the world what they could accomplish. They reached the final with a swagger, brushing aside teams like Mexico, Sweden and Spain 4-0, 7-1 and 6-1. They were saying they were world champions before the final. The 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the final was such a huge shock to the country, that everybody began a period of soul-searching, and, some say, shaped Brazil for years to come.

There was no joy in 1954 also, losing during the ‘Battle of Berne’ to a talented by gritty Hungary in the quarter-finals, but 1958 saw a new dawn for Brazil. Winners of the tournament, stars were also born such as Zagalo, Vava, but most particularly, Garrincha and Pele. At hat trick against France and a brace in the final established Pele’s remarkable rise to stardom.

Pele and Garrincha started Brazil’s World Cup brilliance

This success was repeated in 1962, although Pele missed most of the tournament through injury. Fortunately, Garrincha stepped up, and won the tournament in a single-handed manner that only since has been done by Diego Maradona. The world now saw Brazil as the outright best, and they also saw themselves this way.

This is why being knocked out in the first round in 1966 was so devastating for them, the worst result in three decades. With Garrincha was finished, and Pele kicked out of the competition by a brutish Portugal, Brazil lacked the spark which brought them their success.

They recovered it for 1970 though, when they swept all challengers aside gloriously, and with a team which boasted Pele, Gerson, Zairzinho, Tostao and Carlos Alberto, it as a claim to be the greatest team the world as ever seen.

Brazil’s 1970 side – the greatest ever?

Their greatest success was followed by 24 barren years however, filled with disappointments, and rough teams which didn’t show the verve previous sides did. Even the immensely talented 1982 side with Zico and Socrates couldn’t win the ultimate prize.

In order to return to winning ways, Brazil abandoned their samba style, and resorted to win-at-all-costs tactics, as they strong-armed their way to the 1994 cup in the USA.

This fantasy football returned in 1998, as wonderkid Ronaldo blew teams away with pace, power and ability, but Brazil could only manage second place, losing to France in a odd final 3-0, as Ronaldo reportedly had a fit the night before the match and looked distant throughout the match.

Ronaldo returned in Japan/Korea 2002 along with Ronaldinho and Rivaldo to show the world that they can still win in style, and Ronaldo was named player of the tournament and top scored with 7 goals, proving himself to be the finest player in the world despite a horrific knee injury that could have ended his career.

Ronaldo celebrates Brazil’s 2002 victory

Germany 2006 proved to be a disappointment however, as Brazil were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals, they never really got going, despite having a front 4 boasting Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Adriano and Kaka, with wonderkid Robinho in reserve,

With these five titles, as well as the style most of them were won with, nobody can doubt Brazil’s place at the summit of world football, with so many greats of the game through the years throughout all their teams.

The 2002 World Cup winners eased to top spot in their regional qualification section with plenty of matches to spare. Nevertheless, the pre tournament favourites have been handed a tough group stage draw that includes a Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal and dark horses Ivory Coast. However, with players such as Kaka, Robinho and Luis Fabiano in their side, Brazil will be favourites to emerge from the so called dubbed “group of death”.

The new Brazil 2010 World Cup third shirt is predominately black with a mesh fabric in the same colour that runs down the sides. Manufacturers Nike place their yellow “tick” logo in the top right of the shirt whilst the national badge is situated in the top left. Five gold stars are positioned above the badge is celebrate their record amount of World Cup triumphs. The collar is a black round neck and a large squad number is situated across the middle of the shirt.

The 2002 World Cup winners eased to top spot in their regional qualification section with plenty of matches to spare. Nevertheless, the pre tournament favourites have been handed a tough group stage draw that includes a Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal and dark horses Ivory Coast. However, with players such as Kaka, Robinho and Luis Fabiano in their side, Brazil will be favourites to emerge from the so called dubbed “group of death”.

The new Brazil 2010 home shirt is predominately yellow with a green round neck collar and a single green stripe running down the shoulders and sleeves. Manufacturers Nike place their green “tick” logo in the top right of the shirt whilst the national badge is situated in the top left. Five green stars are positioned above the badge to represent their five World Cup successes.

The South American giants eased to top spot in their regional qualification section with plenty of matches to spare. Nevertheless, the pre tournament favourites have been handed a tough group stage draw that includes a Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal and dark horses Ivory Coast. However, with players such as Kaka, Robinho and Luis Fabiano in their side, Brazil will be favourites to emerge from the so called dubbed “group of death”.

The new 2010 Brazil away shirt is predominately blue with numerous yellow dots scattered all over the body. The collar is a yellow round neck and a single yellow stripe runs down both shoulders. Manufacturers Nike place their white “tick” logo in the top right of the shirt whilst the national badge is situated in the top left. Five white stars are placed above the badge to represent Brazil’s five World Cup triumphs.