Soccer in the City of God: Top 5 Most Memorable Moments

With a World Cup on the way and the 2016 summer Olympics on the horizon, Brazil is gearing up for a high-profile decade by hosting the planet’s two largest sporting events. This brilliant decade in Brazilian sports will kick off with the 2014 World Cup estimated to bring millions of football fans into the country.

As Brazil scrambles to prepare for this incredible influx of footballers, there are concerns about the safety in some of the areas of the country. While most of the areas of Brazil that football fans will be visiting during the cup are safe and beautiful, Rio is a city with a checkered history: the culture of kidnapping, and the intestinal parasites that are endemic to most of Latin America come to mind. While visitors shouldn’t stress about Rio’s dark side, make sure that before you’ve bought your plane tickets you have health insurance.

The country may be struggling to prepare for the incredible influx of footballers, but it is still a country with a deep history of football and parties. Here are some of the most memorable cup moments in The Beautiful Game for Brazil.

1.  1970 – The Best Ever

Brazil proved themselves the best footballers in the world with their incredible showing in the Mexico World Cup. This was the first tournament to be televised in color and the colors of the Brazilian flag waved far above those of other nations. The Brazilian squad is largely considered to the best football squad ever. Pelé opened up his last World Cup final by scoring the 100th goal for Brazil against Italy’s staunch defense. The last goal of the final, scored by Carlos Alberto is easily one of the best goals scored in any football game ever.

2.  1994 Return to Form

It wasn’t until 24 years after the legendary showing in Mexico that Brazil would claim another cup for the nation. The road was long – the departure of the key players of the 1970 squad led to more than two decades of failing to grasp the newly designed cup that Brazil was responsible for took its toll on the nation, but when the Cup came to the USA, Brazil was ready. Though the play wasn’t at the iconic level of the 1970 group, the 1994 cup signified a return to form for the team that persists to this day.

3.  1958 A World Class Team

In the interim between the hideous match against Hungary in the 1954 Cup that ultimately sent Brazil home, they built one of the most charismatic, skilled teams in the world. Set on a comeback, they endured incredible focus. Coach Vincente Feola gave out a list of 40 things players could not do in order to keep them trained on the task at hand. A formidable USSR team posed the largest threat, but they were soon toppled as Brazil won their first world cup kicking off what some consider to be the Golden Era of Brazilian football.

4.  2005-Victory against Archnemesis Argentina

The Confederations cup Final saw Brazil and bitter rivals Argentina meet for the first time in a FIFA tournament. The meeting was preceded by a long, complex history between the two teams but proceeded well for Brazil, who would win 4-1.

5.  2009

The 2009 Confederations Cup saw Brazil take on the USA, stripping the title away from the American hopefuls in a 3-2 win and demonstrating a level of play that hadn’t yet been seen in years. The game was a roller coaster of emotion for both sides with the USA scoring 2 goals in the first half, and charging confidently into the second half only to be stymied by Brazil’s drive. An incredible comeback was augmented by America’s loss of nerves late in the game and culminated in a silver medal for the stalwart team and another cup for the champions Brazil.

Related posts:

1. FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup title is Brazilian.
2. Soccer in the City of God, Part 2: Reflections on Rio De Janeiro
3. FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup: Brazil vs. Mexico in the final.
4. Updates on FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
5. Now that is the Seleção I know.