Last time Brazil celebrated World Cup triumph 22 years ago, when Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos danced their way to the title in South Korea and Japan.But those times are long gone, and contemporary Brazil is not nearly that effective and strong. Germany humiliated them in the semi-final on their ground in 2014, with that iconic 7-1 battering. After losing to Belgium in the 2018 World Cup quarter-final, Brazilian media concluded: “We are no longer elite”.Harambee Stars move top after securing second AFCON away qualifier win in 22 yearsHowever, despite more than two decades of poor results, the current national team boss, Dorival Junior, is a wild optimist – he claims Brazil will play in the final of the next World Cup in 2026.”Mark my words – we will be finalists of the 2026 World Cup! I have no doubt about that. We will be there, I am convinced,” said the Brazil coach at the press conference before the qualifying match against Paraguay.##NAJAVA_MECA_8325640##Neymar emerged as the leader of the new generation back in the day. It can’t be said that he has been deplorable, but then again, it seems that it could and should have been better. The only question that remains is who will be the leader after the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player retires from the national team. The game of the whole team does not work well in terms of these qualifications either. Ecuador was narrowly defeated, while in the recent Copa America Round of 16, they lost to Uruguay after a penalty shootout. All this happened without Neymar on the team, who had already been injured for a year.
