Brazil v Germany, Final, Rio 2016 - Well done Rogerio Micale

The Samba Boys kept me awake till 6:00 am in the morning. They left me in tears. It was the tears of joy and they didn’t stop, but kept on rolling down the eyes. Being a Brazilian fan, it was the moment to cherish. As if, all of a sudden, the dark clouds of frustration and despair had moved away and allowed the brightness of the sun to smile upon the fans like us for whom Brazil is not just a team, but more than that.

How bad was the situation when Brazil drew with Iraq? Neymar was trolled and criticized heavily while Rogerio Micale’s abilities as a coach was questioned. But Micale didn’t lose hope. He is not a pragmatic fool, but enlightened by the culture of Brazil football, which teaches one to be passionate and enjoy the game like a flying canarinho. Such people are patient and brave and give their best shot when the circumstances are tough.

Micale united his men. Instill self-belief among them. Changed his plans and switched to a 4-2-4 format despite such a tough situation. No coach in this world would have dared to go for such a daring move when you are about to get eliminated from the first round. But Micale showed the guts to do that and all of a sudden, Brazil rediscovered their lost rhythm as they were allowed to fly like a canarinho.   

Micale’s Brazil rekindled the true spirit of Joga Bonito. A bunch of young kids flew all around the park like a bird. They were fearless, artistic, intent enough and enjoyed the game more than anyone in the men’s football event. Douglas Santos was like Junior, Zeca transformed into Carlos Alberto, Renato Augusto was like Didi and Gerson, Walace gave the impression of Zito, Gabriel Jesus was the jack in the box like Vava, Gabigol was like Garrincha on the right, Luan was more like Tostao than a number 7 while Neymar played like Pele and of course, the two centre backs – Marquinhos and Rodrigo Caio had been aboslutely rock solid at the back. I hope, Tite has plans about them in his mind.

As a matter of fact, Neymar played like a true leader. He dropped down deep like Pele and Mardaona from their traditional playing positions and gelled well with the two midfielders to marshall the forwards from behind. Neymar played in the central position of the midfield, interchanged his position on the right and left and produced sublime passes which hinted about his greatness. He was not only the scorer of the team, but also, he was the playmaker like Pele and Maradona.

How can the world media and fans be so cruel with such a gem? This guy always gives his thousand percent for the team and at the end of the day, a group of fans and football followers slice him either because he is not an Argentine or he plays for Barcelona. They are the pseudo fans with no knowledge of the game.

Micale was instrumental in using Neymar as the nucleus of the team. He gave him the freedom to play like he gave to all his men. And when you give enough freedom to the Brazilian players, they transform into a spectacle. The Selecao gifted us joy throughout the event and let us thank you Micale for that.

There were a group of fans who call themselves as Brazil supporters, but don’t agree with the ploy of free-flowing football. These guys are young and naive and should study about the footballing culture and history of Brazil football. Brazilians are joyful and freedom loving people. They can’t live in a world where pragmatism exists. Brazil are needed to be given the freedom to express themselves. Otherwise, their philosophy of existence will meet a tragic end.

Thankfully, Carlos Dunga was not the coach of this Olympic team. Otherwise, he would have gifted us the ugliest form of football, which would have injected more frustrations among the fans. Thankfully, a messiah named Micale was there to rescue Brazil football. Not only Brazil, but world football should be grateful to Micale for bringing back the Joga Bonito.

Yes, winning an Olympic gold medal is not as great as winning the FIFA World Cup, but this victory was important for Brazil football’s existence and their future which was hampered a lot by a lunatic named Carlos Dunga.   

Thank You

Faisal Caesar