Quickly recovering their poise, they then beat Austria and Panama to top their group. Though the team was strong, World Cup campaigns are never straightforward, and Brazil’s Colombia 2011 run began with a disappointing draw against Egypt. “He was just coming back from injury and was looking to rediscover his best form, but he was a player who commanded the respect of defenders, which was really important.” “Philippe was a very different kind of player to Neymar, but he had European experience already ,” said Franco.
Philippe Coutinho and Dudu eventually took the places of Neymar and Lucas Moura, who was also called up for Copa America duty, which meant A Selecao travelled to Colombia with a fearsome side. Neymar was already a star and others were just breaking through, but there were other guys who were delighted to be there.” We trained throughout December and for virtually the whole of January. They’re all well-known players today, but we had to work really hard at the time to bring it all together.
“What those kids did in that game, on a heavy pitch, against a team like that, just showed that we had a special group on our hands.Īnd that was without Dudu and Philippe Coutinho. “After the final of the South American U-20 Championships, when we beat Uruguay 6-0,” he answered. The fact that so many players from that squad have gone on to have successful careers begs a question: did Franco believe at the time they would kick on and make it? When did he realise just how much talent he had at his disposal? Back on the domestic scene meanwhile, attacking midfielder Dudu starred in Palmeiras’ two recent Copa Libertadores triumphs. That Colombia 2011 squad also included the defender Juan Jesus, midfielder Allan, full-back Gabriel Silva, attacking midfielder Alan Patrick and the centre-forward Willian Jose, all of whom have since gone on to have fine careers in Europe’s top leagues. “And if you look back at previous tournaments, Lucas Moura has played for A Seleção on several occasions, and Oscar has played at the World Cup too. “Aside from those four, there’s another one who’s a certainty for the World Cup ,” commented Franco. To put it all into perspective, there are some distinguished members of that history-making generation of Brazilian players who have excelled since Colombia 2011 but who may well be left out of Tite’s squad for Qatar 2022. The then Santos starlet was part of the side that romped to the South American title but missed the U-20 World Cup to spearhead the senior national team at the Copa America that year. There is another famous name from that generation who cannot be overlooked: Neymar. “If you look at where these players are, most of them are playing for big clubs in Brazil and around the world,” said Franco.
Lifting the World Cup Trophy would cap their impressive careers and confirm just how much they have developed over the last 11 years. “They won South American and world titles and that side was a springboard for many top players.”įour of those world champions will be aiming to repeat the trick at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in three months’ time and add another world title to their CVs: the full-backs Danilo and Alex Sandro, midfielder Casemiro and attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho. “If it’s not the best U-20 side Brazil has ever had, it’s one of the best,” said Ney Franco, the man who coached that team of 19 and 20-year-olds, in conversation with FIFA+. While lifting trophies at youth level is no guarantee of future success, the Brazil team that won the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 had the individual and collective qualities that many a coach dreams of.
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