New Delhi: Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti’s first public reaction to his team’s 1-1 draw against Morocco was an apology. And to many fans, that was the right thing to do.
“I am sorry we didn’t play as well as we hoped,” said the 67-year-old Italian in his post-match media conference.
It was never meant to be an easy game. Brazil are ranked sixth in the world and Morocco are just one place lower. Both sides have their strengths and weaknesses but a draw was probably a fair result and one that both sides may not mind. It may even allow both to grow into the tournament. But for Brazil fans, this was an underwhelming performance in every sense.
The yellow and green jerseys of Brazil have always stood for more than just winning. Joga Bonito (Portuguese for “the beautiful game”) is Brazil’s historic footballing philosophy, rooted in improvisation, joy, and rhythm. In a world that is often dictated by result, this perhaps was a fallback on a more innocent time when the simple act of a dummy or some devilish trickery would light us all up.
Brazil, at its finest, would do this on the biggest stage and end up winning too. Moments of spontaneous genius were a given but there was also a certain class which told everyone watching that none of that magic was a one-off.
“This is the first match of the World Cup,” Ancelotti said. “It wasn’t a bad result but we will keep picking up. We have to do better, that’s very clear. We have to have a more balanced team and we have to be more aggressive. I am not disappointed but I am not satisfied either. Not everything goes perfect and we have to accept criticism.”
When Brazil last won the World Cup in 2002, their squad included Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Roberto Carlos and Cafu. All of them will walk into the current squad, but how many of the current squad will walk into that one?
It was proof that style and winning can co-exist. The overlapping runs of Cafu and Carlos, the left-foot of Rivaldo, Kaka’s runs through the middle, Ronaldo’s power and skill and the unpredictable magic of Ronaldinho. Dare one say, they would have still been winning games in this era.
These were the kinds of players that brought many fans into the football world and it’s hard to say that about the current Brazil team. In the first half against Morocco, they were bad technically, missing passes… simple short passes. The aggression was conspicuous by its absence and so was the heart.
Brazilian legend Ronaldinho boycotted the 2024 Copa América, declaring on X and Instagram that he would not watch or celebrate any Brazil matches.
“That’s it guys, I will not watch any Brazil game at the Copa América nor celebrate any victory. I’ve had enough. It’s a sad moment for those who love Brazilian football. It’s hard now to find the spirit to watch the games. It’s one of the worst teams in the recent years, no respectable leaders, only average players for the majority. I’ve never seen a situation as bad as this. Lack of love for Brazil shirt and lack of football. Our performance has been one of the worst things I’ve ever seen, it’s such a shame.”
It was an emotional outburst no doubt, but for many watching Brazil hasn’t been about logic – it’s always been an emotion.
Out of the 26 players in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad, 19 currently play their club football in Europe. And perhaps they just don’t recognise their roots now. When you have to move in a system, you can’t employ ginga (the continuous swaying footwork of the Brazilian martial art, Capoeira, which influences their football). And when you don’t practice something, how do you become a master?
Again, many argue that this might be for the better. The humiliation of their devastating 7-1 defeat on home soil to Germany in the semi-final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup still lingers and the lack of titles since 2002 is perhaps a sign that something needed to change. Ancelotti, in that sense, has been given the responsibility of heralding in a new era, but one wonders whether the samba beat will ever return.
Maybe, the coming days will give us a more definitive answer to the question. Till then, we can only hope for a return to the good, old days.
