U-17 World Cup: Brazil promise jogo bonito

Brazil were unstoppable in Chile during the South American qualifiers for the Fifa U-17 World Cup and it’s more than likely they will take some stopping in India.

The South American champions mauled Chile 5-0 in the final and won seven of their nine matches, most of them quite handsomely. With star striker Vinicius Junior in fine form – highest scorer with seven – Brazil’s domination was complete, prompting Colombian coach Carlos Restrepo to compare them with the dazzling Brazilian sides of 1970 and 1982.

Restrepo may have gone a little overboard with the comparison but there is no denying that the Selecao young guns will stay true to the style that has charmed millions around the world.

“I don’t think it’s fair to compare a developmental side with a finished product. This is a youth side and they need time to grow. Brazil has always had great players and participated in every World Cup, showcasing the beauty of the game. With these young players, our aim is to reach the same level,” Brazil coach Carlos Amadeu told TOI in an exclusive interview.

With Brazil, expectations are always sky-high. It was the same in Chile 2015 when they were grounded by Nigeria 3-0 in the last-eight stage. This time around, Amadeu is wiser from that experience and expects his team to play “competitive and beautiful football.”

“We can be competitive, we can win, but we can do both and also give some entertainment to the crowd. I think this is the message that Brazil has always sent across to the world and that is what we tell our young players. They have to believe in this philosophy. A beautiful style combined with the most modern kind of football known,” said Amadeu.

The South American champions have been grouped with European champions Spain and will play them in their opening round clash in Kochi on October 7. It’s a match that has the potential to set the tournament alight and Amadeu couldn’t agree more.

“I think the opening match (against Spain) will be one of the greatest matches of this World Cup, because Spain has a really strong team and we are both continental champions.

“We also have Niger in our group. It’s always difficult to play against African teams in this age-group. Just check the statistics , you will see that they have more trophies 17 than South America or Europe. Korea DPR is the most difficult team to get information about but we know them too,” he said.

Everyone is awaiting their arrival. Brazil will arrive in Mumbai on Tuesday and play two friendlies before moving to Kochi. With Brazil, whatever the generation, one thing is certain: it’ll always be jogo bonito, or the beautiful game.