Sports
Brazilian football has ‘stopped in time’: Kaka
Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian football has “stopped in time” and must take lessons from Europe to recover its past glory, according to former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.
In a television interview with Brazil’s Globo Sunday, Kaka cited poor domestic coaching as a reason for the country’s lack of recent success at international level, as per reports.
“Brazilian football has stopped. It has stopped in time and I think it is due to being content with being five-time World Cup winners and thinking we are really the best,” the 32-year-old said.
“Managers could learn from each other. In Europe, a Spanish team plays against English teams or Italian teams. Managers talk amongst themselves and they learn.”
“We don’t have the same interaction here with other South American countries. The thinking is: ‘I have won for so long by doing it this way and I am going to continue.’ This mentality needs to change.”
Kaka, a member of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning squad, was overlooked for the Selecao’s 2014 campaign, which ended with a 1-7 semifinal defeat to Germany.
He was recalled for friendlies against Argentina and Japan in October, his first international call-up since March 2013.
The 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year will officially join new Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Orlando City in January following a five-month loan spell with Sao Paulo.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.