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Brazil needs to be careful of favourite tag: Pele
Pele has said that Brazil needs to be extra careful going into the World Cup finals as the favourite to win the competition.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:53 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Sao Paulo:
Pele has said that Brazil needs to be extra careful going into the World Cup finals as the favourite to win the competition. "Every time a team was the favourite to win the Cup, it ended losing badly," Pele said during the creation of a soccer museum. Pele, who led Brazil to World Cup titles in 1958, '62 and '70, said the front-runner status can be extremely dangerous. "Brazil is the best team today, but it quickly needs to forget this idea that it will easily win the Cup. We need to step back and rethink this," he added. Brazil was the favourite to capture the World Cup at home in 1950, but was stunned by Uruguay in the final round at Maracana Stadium. The same happened after Brazil won the titles in 1958 and '62. Everybody expected the team to win the following tournament in 1966, but it played disastrously and was eliminated in the first round. In 1982, Brazil assembled another great squad, but was shocked by Italy in the quarterfinals. By contrast, Brazil limped into the World Cup in 2002, clinching a berth only in its final qualifying game with a lineup of newcomers and injured stars. But the team won its fifth trophy in Japan. Brazil, seeking its sixth world title, is the reigning Copa America and Confederations Cup champion, and the top team in South American World Cup qualifying. (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
Football Brazil England Pele
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