Brazilian National Soccer Team Begins Its Easiest Way to Win Gold for the First Time
For decades, winning the Olympic gold medal in men's soccer has been an obsession for Brazilians. On Thursday, August 4, the team will begin the dispute to the top of the podium for the 13th time. And it has never been as easy as now for Brazil. In theory.
The team coached by Rogério Micale -who is not famous among Brazilians- will have the only star in the tournament, striker Neymar, face weaker opponents and have the support of the Brazilian fans in the stadiums.
Playing at home, the Brazilian men's soccer team is the favorite to win the only important title it has not won yet - Brazil has won the World Cup five times.
At Mané Garrincha stadium, the stage of the last chapter of Brazil's defeated campaign in the 2014 World Cup (it lost to the Netherlands in the match for third place), Brazil's national soccer team will play against South Africa with a generation of talented players.
In addition to Barcelona's Neymar, the Brazilian team will have strikers Gabriel Jesus, of Palmeiras, and Gabriel, of Santos, as well as defenders Marquinhos, of Paris Saint-Germain, Rodrigo Caio, who plays for São Paulo.
All of them are rising stars in the international soccer scenario. Jesus, for example, was hired by billionaire team Manchester City on Wednesday, August 3 - but he is likely to begin to play for the English team only at the end of the year.
Coach Micale decided to gamble high and set up an offensive team to take advantage of the talent of offensive midfielders Renato Augusto and Felipe Anderson.
The team will have only one defensive midfielder: Thiago Maia. Germany will also participate in the Olympic tournament but without any of the players of the starting team that won the last World Cup.
Translated by THOMAS MUELLO