"the World Cup, while the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in the capital Brasília was demolished and rebuilt, with the remaining six being extensively renovated. An additional R$3 billion (US$1.3 billion, €960 million, £780 million at June 2014 rates) was earmarked by the Brazilian government for investment in infrastructure works and projects for use during the 2014 World Cup and beyond. However, the failed completion of many of the proposed works provoked discontent among some Brazilians. The Brazilian government pledged US$900 million to be invested into security forces and that the tournament would be ""one of the most protected sports events"
"2008 and Mano Menezes in 2012. The Brazil national team is known by different names in various parts of the world. Nicknames for the squad in Brazil include: ""Canarinho"", meaning 'Little Canary', a reference to a species of bird commonly found in Brazil that has a vivid yellow color; this phrase was popularized by the late cartoonist Fernando ""Mangabeira"" Pieruccetti during the 1950 World Cup. ""Amarelinha"" (Little Yellow One), ""Seleção"" (The National Squad), ""Verde-amarelo"" (Green and Yellow), ""Pentacampeão"" (Five-time Champions) and ""Esquadrão de Ouro"" (The Golden Squad). Some Latin American commentators often refer to the Brazil team as ""El Scratch"""
"Garrincha Manuel Francisco dos Santos (28 October 1933 – 20 January 1983), known by the nickname Garrincha (, ""little bird""), was a Brazilian footballer who played right winger and forward. He is regarded by many in the sport to be one of the best dribblers and among the greatest players in football history. The word ""garrincha"" itself means wren. Garrincha was also known as Mané (short for ""Manuel"") by his friends. The combined ""Mané Garrincha"" is common among fans in Brazil. Due to his immense popularity in Brazil, he was also called ""Alegria do Povo"" (People's Joy) and ""Anjo de"
"in the shoot-out, which ended in a 3–2 win for Brazil. Romário won the World Cup Golden Ball as the most valuable player of the tournament, and was named in the World Cup All-Star Team. Romário is also the last player to have won the Golden Ball and the World Cup in the same tournament. Described by Jere Longman of ""The New York Times"" as ""short on humility, long on talent"", Romário demanded a window seat on the team plane and refused to sit next to Bebeto. He did however join Bebeto in one of the most iconic images of"
"injury time, Maicon scored again. The 2–1 victory against Germany allowed Brazil to proceed to the semifinals. Maicon Marques Maicon Marques Bitencourt (born 18 February 1990 in Duque de Caxias), commonly known simply as Maicon, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a winger for Antalyaspor. Young, Maicon's first professional club was Fluminense, due to his speed, he rapidly received the nickname Maicon ""Bolt"", in reference to the sprinter Usain Bolt. Partner of Fred in Fluminense's attack, Maicon got famous for his nice passes for Fred to score and was probed by many teams in the end of 2009.<br>In"
"nickname ""Ronaldinho"" – ""inho"" meaning small – because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches. He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football. His first brush with the media came at the age of 13, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team. Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks. Growing up, his idols included the World Cup winning stars; Rivelino (from 1970), Diego"
"bandy-legged ‘Little Bird’ Garrincha, along with Pelé and Didi in Chile were dashed when he suffered a serious knee injury. Forced to undergo surgery, he couldn’t get himself back into Moreira’s squad. It would be one of many injuries to blight his career. In 1963 he chose not to sign another contract with Flamengo after being assigned the impossible task of man-marking Garrincha in the 1962 Rio de Janeiro Championship final, which Botafogo won 3–0. He packed his bags and moved to Botafogo, which by then had the most celebrated squad in Rio and arguably in Brazil, alongside Pelé's Santos,"
"prestigious trophy; the Brazilian national team dedicated the title to the deceased Formula One motor racing champion and countryman Ayrton Senna, who had died two and a half months prior. The tournament's Golden Boot went jointly to Bulgaria's Stoichkov and Oleg Salenko of Russia, the latter becoming the first player to score five goals in a game, coming in a 6–1 victory against Cameroon. Both players scored six goals in the tournament. Brazilian striker Romário, with five goals, won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. The official mascot of this World Cup was ""Striker, the World Cup Pup"","
"Baltazar (footballer) Oswaldo da Silva (14 January 1926 – 25 March 1997), commonly known as Baltazar, was a Brazilian footballer. Nicknamed ""Cabecinha de Ouro"" (""Golden Head"") by fans, he played as a striker. Baltazar played for União Monte Alegre, Jabaquara, Corinthians, Juventus and União Paulista. He also represented Brazilian team who participated in the 1950 World Cup and 1954 World Cup, he played 4 matches, scoring 3 goals all of them against Mexico. He is the only player to score in two different opening world cup matches being one goal in 1950 and the other in 1954. He died in"
"but I don't agree. Apart from Zidane, Platini, and Fontaine, I'm behind 11 Frenchmen? It's a joke to hear this."""" Flamengo Botafogo São Paulo Brazil Gérson Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, generally known as Gérson , (born 11 January 1941 in Niterói), nickname Canhotinha de ouro (literally: Golden left foot) is a Brazilian former association footballer who played as a midfielder. He won numerous national trophies with the club sides of Flamengo, Botafogo, São Paulo and Fluminense. He is widely known as being ""the brain"" behind the Brazilian Football Team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Gérson was"
"Petit (Portuguese footballer) Armando Gonçalves Teixeira, (; born 25 September 1976), known as Petit, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and is the manager of C.S. Marítimo. He received the moniker ""Petit"" because of his small frame, and also because he was born in France. He also became known as ""Pitbull"" by supporters because of his fierce approach, in addition to a powerful outside shot. After helping Boavista win its first and only Primeira Liga championship, he went on to amass more than 200 official appearances for Benfica, winning another three major titles. He"
"São Paulo aged 71. Baltazar (footballer) Oswaldo da Silva (14 January 1926 – 25 March 1997), commonly known as Baltazar, was a Brazilian footballer. Nicknamed ""Cabecinha de Ouro"" (""Golden Head"") by fans, he played as a striker. Baltazar played for União Monte Alegre, Jabaquara, Corinthians, Juventus and União Paulista. He also represented Brazilian team who participated in the 1950 World Cup and 1954 World Cup, he played 4 matches, scoring 3 goals all of them against Mexico. He is the only player to score in two different opening world cup matches being one goal in 1950 and the other in"
"3-1. Brazil's second goal, scored by poster boy Neymar, was a doubtful penalty kick which eventually led to the exclusion of Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura from the tournament. In their following group game, Brazil suffered a minor setback when they drew 0-0 against Mexico in Fortaleza, but they restored their supremacy with a resounding 4-1 victory over Cameroon in Brasília and ended top of the table in Group A. In Group B, Chile faced world champions Spain, the Netherlands, 2010 runners-up, and Asian minnows Australia, whom they managed to defeat 3-1 in their opening game in Cuiabá. The Chileans then"
"at the age of 72, after contracting pneumonia from complications arising from intestinal cancer. On 16 June 1950, in a friendly match involving Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo youth state teams, Didi (aged 21), playing for Rio de Janeiro, scored the first ever goal at the Maracanã Stadium. He is also known as the first person to call the game The Beautiful Game. Didi (footballer) Waldyr Pereira (8 October 1928 – 12 May 2001), nicknamed Didi (), was a Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder or as a forward. He played in three FIFA World Cups (1954, 1958,"
"only Pelé. At age 17, Ronaldo was the youngest member of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. At the 1998 World Cup, he received the Golden Ball for player of the tournament, helping Brazil reach the final where he suffered a convulsive fit hours before the defeat to France. He won a second World Cup in 2002 where he starred in a front three with Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. Ronaldo scored twice in the final, and received the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer. During the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo scored his 15th World Cup goal,"
"best players in the world, and was known for his technique and dribbling skills, while also contributing with many assists thanks to his vision, passing and playmaking abilities. He played most of his 11-year career with Cruzeiro. Tostão represented Brazil in two World Cups, winning the tournament in 1970. He formed a lethal offensive partnership with Pelé in the national team. Born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Eduardo Andrade received, like the vast majority of Brazilian footballers, a nickname early into his football career, being dubbed 'Tostão' (little coin). Legend has it that as a six-year-old school boy he netted"
"He was also successful for his club sides, winning numerous trophies. Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus (born 19 June 1965 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian former footballer, better known on the football pitch as Ronaldo, or Ronaldão (""big Ronaldo""), to differentiate him from his younger compatriot and teammate, also dubbed Ronaldo, who was initially nicknamed Ronaldinho (""little Ronaldo""), a nickname later adopted by footballer Ronaldinho Gaúcho. A former defender, Ronaldão played 14 matches in the ""Seleção"" (Brazil national football team) between 1991–1995, scored two goals, and won the 1994 FIFA World Cup with the Brazilian"
"it home. The only outfield players not involved in the move were Everaldo and Piazza. The full team was Carlos Alberto, Felix, Piazza, Brito, Clodoaldo, Everaldo Antonio, Jairzinho, Gérson, Tostão, Pelé and Rivelino. Brazil won the World Cup with 19 goals scored by 7 players, all of whom featured in the Carlos Alberto goal. Before the finals in Mexico, Brazil had to play the qualifying rounds against Colombia, Venezuela and Paraguay. Brazil was far superior winning all 6 games, scoring 23 goals and conceding only 2. In the last match of the qualifying rounds Brazil beat Paraguay 1 – 0"
"Ariel Ortega Ariel Arnaldo Ortega (born 4 March 1974) is a retired Argentine footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. His nickname is ""El Burrito"" (""The Little Donkey""), thus he is called ""Burrito Ortega"". Ariel Ortega first played for Club Atlético River Plate on 14 December 1991 and until 1996 and returned in 2000–02, 2006–08 and 2009–11. Ortega's other clubs include Fenerbahçe, Parma, Sampdoria, Valencia, and Newell's Old Boys. A former Argentina international, Ortega played for his country in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Cups. He was also a member of the team that won the silver medal at"
"Juninho Paulista Osvaldo Giroldo Júnior (born 22 February 1973 in São Paulo), known as Juninho Paulista or Juninho, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. During his professional career, he played for Brazilian clubs São Paulo FC, Vasco da Gama, Palmeiras, CR Flamengo, as well as English club Middlesbrough, Spanish club Atlético Madrid, Celtic in Scotland and Sydney FC in Australia. Known as ""The Little Fella"" or ""TLF"", he is regarded by many as one of the greatest players in Middlesbrough F.C.'s history. Juninho played 50 international matches for the Brazilian national team from 1995 to"
"Rivellino Roberto Rivellino (also Rivelino, ; ; born 1 January 1946) is a former Brazilian professional footballer. He was one of the stars of Brazil's 1970 FIFA World Cup winning team. Rivellino currently works as a pundit for Brazilian TV Cultura. The son of Italian immigrants from Macchiagodena (Isernia), he was famous for his large moustache, bending free kicks, long range shooting, accurate long passing, vision, close ball control and dribbling skills. He also perfected a football move called the ""flip flap"", famously copied by Romário, Mágico González, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years. A former attacking midfielder,"
"Gérson Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, generally known as Gérson , (born 11 January 1941 in Niterói), nickname Canhotinha de ouro (literally: Golden left foot) is a Brazilian former association footballer who played as a midfielder. He won numerous national trophies with the club sides of Flamengo, Botafogo, São Paulo and Fluminense. He is widely known as being ""the brain"" behind the Brazilian Football Team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Gérson was born and spent his childhood in the city of Niterói, just to the eastern side of Guanabara Bay from Rio de Janeiro, then the capital"
"FIFA World Cup. His son, Milton, was also in the World Cup squad. In 1967 the United Soccer Association imported entire squads from Europe and South America to play in North America. With Viera as manager, Cerro played as the ""New York Skyliners"". He also coached Nacional, Fluminense, where he achieved great success and coached the second-most games in club's history, Vasco da Gama and Peñarol. He was famously quoted as saying ""Other countries have their history. Uruguay has its football"". Ondino Viera Ondino Leonel Viera Palasérez (10 September 1901 – 27 June 1997), in Brazil also known as ""Ondino"
"Didi (footballer) Waldyr Pereira (8 October 1928 – 12 May 2001), nicknamed Didi (), was a Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder or as a forward. He played in three FIFA World Cups (1954, 1958, and 1962), winning the latter two and was awarded the Golden Ball, given to the tournament's best player, for his performance at the 1958 competition. An elegant player, Didi is considered to be one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the sport, and was renowned for his range of passing, stamina and technique; he was nicknamed the ""Ethiopian Prince"" throughout his career."
"drinking cachaça heavily, a problem which Garrincha would inherit. A boy with a carefree attitude, he was smaller than other kids his age, with his sister Rosa noticing he was as small as a little bird she started calling him Garrincha, the north-eastern name for the wren, a little brown bird. The name stuck and by the age of four years he was known as Garrincha to his family and friends. Garrincha was known amongst footballing scouts but did not arrive in professional football until his late teens; he had no interest in a professional career despite his immense talent."
"round. In that match, Waldemar took a penalty kick for Brazil, but Spain goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora saved his shot. After he retired, Waldemar de Brito was part of a project to scout young talents at Bauru Atlético Clube. In 1954, he spotted a kid named Edson Arantes do Nascimento, whom he took to Santos FC, predicting that he would become the greatest footballer in the world. Although Waldemar is recognized for his own talent while he was a player, it is perhaps his scouting of Pelé that makes him most notable in the history of football in Brazil. Waldemar de"
"and ""Dadá Beija-Flor"" (""Dadá the Hummingbird""), the latter a reference to his great impulse, which made him seemingly stop in mid-air. Dada's pre-match declarations were much sought after by sport beat reporters as he had the flair of coining names to goals yet to be scored by himself on any given match. He is also notorious for having coined many catch phrases which are still remembered and used by many Brazilian fans, such as ""There's no such thing as an ugly goal, what's ugly is not scoring"". Dadá Maravilha Dario José dos Santos (born 4 March 1946 in Rio de"
"South American Footballer of the Year in 1972. In 2004, Pelé selected Cubillas as one of the FIFA 100, a list of 125 footballing greats. In February 2008, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Brazilian World Cup victory, he was selected in the ""All-Star First Team"" of South America of the past 50 years. Cubillas is one of only three players to score five or more goals in two different World Cups, the other two being Miroslav Klose and Thomas Müller. Nicknamed """"Nene"""" (the babe) for his boyish looks, Cubillas began his career with Alianza Lima at the"
"Leivinha João Leiva Campos Filho, usually called Leivinha (little Leiva), (born 11 September 1949) is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a striker or as a winger. A talented, flamboyant and mercurial player, at club level, Leivinha played for Portuguesa, Palmeiras, and Atlético de Madrid, winning national championships in both Brazil and Spain, as well as the UEFA and Intercontinental Cups. Leivinha achieved a total of 21 international caps for Brazil, from June 1972 until June 1974, scoring seven goals. He was included in the Brazil national football team squad at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, where he played"
"in the Copa América Centenario to be held in the United States, describing the call-up as a ""dream"". He made his full international debut on 29 May, replacing goalscorer Jonas and scoring the last in a 2–0 friendly win over Panama. Considered to be a talented prospect, Gabriel is known for his technical skills, creativity and use of tricks on the ball; due to his flair and flamboyant playing style, he was dubbed the ""next Neymar"" by the media in 2016. Gabriel Barbosa Gabriel Barbosa Almeida (born 30 August 1996), commonly known as Gabriel and Gabigol, is a Brazilian professional"
"before the tournament. Antônio Wilson Vieira Honório Antônio Wilson Vieira Honório (born 11 June 1943), nicknamed Coutinho, is a Brazilian former football (soccer) player. He played as a forward for Santos Futebol Clube, being a teammate and one of the best partners of Pelé, and became a member of the Brazilian national team. Born in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, Coutinho was spotted at the age of 13 by Santos' coach Luís Alonso Pérez ""Lula"". One year later he became part of the Santos' lower division. His professional career at Santos took place from 1958 to 1968 and in 1970,"
"Maicon Marques Maicon Marques Bitencourt (born 18 February 1990 in Duque de Caxias), commonly known simply as Maicon, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a winger for Antalyaspor. Young, Maicon's first professional club was Fluminense, due to his speed, he rapidly received the nickname Maicon ""Bolt"", in reference to the sprinter Usain Bolt. Partner of Fred in Fluminense's attack, Maicon got famous for his nice passes for Fred to score and was probed by many teams in the end of 2009.<br>In 2009, Fluminense sold 50% rights of Maicon along with other players in different ratio to Traffic Group."
"Jairzinho Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a retired Brazilian footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger, known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a member of the legendary Brazilian national team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup, during which he scored in every game Brazil played. In doing so, he became one of only four players – the others being Alcides Ghiggia, György Sárosi and Just Fontaine – in the history of the World Cup to have scored in every game of the tournament and was"