Watching back the 2002 World Cup final, once you’ve adjusted your eyes to the low-def visuals, two things jump out. The first is a reminder of the sheer indulgence of Brazil’s front three. Luiz Felipe Scolari built his team on a defence of Edmilson, Roque Junior and a young galloping Lucio; two midfielders in the wily Gilberto Silva and the tireless Kleberson; iconic wingback duo Cafu and Roberto Carlos; all of which allowed him to pick Ronaldinho flickering menacingly behind Rivaldo and Ronaldo in a fantasy-football attack.
Which makes the second thing even more notable: that Brazil weren’t fancied to win this World Cup, at all. Commentator Guy Mowbray (his lilting voice is just about the only thing in this broadcast which hasn’t aged) notes that Brazil have upset the odds to be here. Scolari took over with the team in disarray, on the brink of flunking qualification altogether, and he reinforced them with a steel spine which anchored their journey to the World Cup finals, and the final, and now Ronaldo has the chance to expunge the memory of France ‘98.
