Carlos Alberto and Ezequiel Fernandez Moores, the veteran sports journalists from Brazil and Argentina respectively, firmly believe that the Fifa World Cup 2014 trophy will remain in Latin America and their teams are ready to lift the title.
Carlos Alberto, the sports editor of popular Brazilian magazine Revista Veja has covered as many as nine Fifa World Cups and looked confident about Brazil’s success. “Yes, there were a lot of problems but I firmly believed that everything will pause once the ball rolls in the field. Strikes, riots, protests are normal customs in a democratic society and Brazil is not an exception. I believe all the people will rally together for Brazil’s success after inauguration.
Carlos Alberto also rated Brazil as the top team. “Winning World Cup five times and playing in the home ground definitely puts Brazil ahead of all. However, Argentina is a strong contender and of course Germany is there, but with my experience I can say it is difficult to predict,” said Alberto.
“I remember the 1990 World Cup. When I landed in Italy, the same tune echoed everywhere with the tune being a final between Brazil and Italy. Did it happen? No, Germany stunned us all. So who wins in the end is a question only time can answer,” added Alberto.
The veteran World Cup journalist, however, was assertive when asked about Pele. “Winning three World Cups and scoring 1200 goals matters. Who can match him? He is at the top. Maradona won once but was a top player. Messi and Neymar are yet to win the World Cup and haven’t reached that level yet which should warrant a comparison of them with those fabulous two.”
Alberto further added that this edition is important for both Neymar and Messi as Neymar has to mould his career with this edition and this might as well be Messi’s last chance to touch the glittering silverware.
Ezequiel Fernandez Moores, the famous sports journalist of Argentina also seemed confident that this time the cup will remain in Latin America but didn’t forget to pay tribute to Brazil. “We have arrived in the country of football. It may be is going through a tough time due to the presidential election ahead and the condition is complex as football and politics both are playing a role among the mind of the people. I think it will calm down once the World Cup begins,” said Moores.
Moores was elated to see the World Cup returning to his continent after 36 years. “The last two World Cups have been won by the European sides and this time the time has come for the Latin America. There are countries like Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay who can lift the title. I have every hope that the cup will remain here,” said Moores who has covered seven World Cups so far.
Moores thought Messi had conserved his energy for the greatest show. “Messi has won everything apart from the World Cup. I think he was cautious for the last few months and that may have affected his performance. He is the best at this moment and preserved his energy for the greatest show,” said Moores.
He also drew a comparison between the current Argentine and Brazilian playing trends. “Brazil played attacking football in the past while Argentina was defensive. It was opposite in the last edition and this time it remains the same old style. However, I have to admit this Argentine defense is not so efficient,” Moores opined.
The gentleman refused to compare Pele and Maradona. “Both played in different times. Pele is a three time World Cup winner while Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986. The club career of Maradona is better as he played in Europe and enjoyed tremendous success. Pele does not have many success apart from for Santos. I don’t like to compare them,” said Moores.
