Once again, the Brazilian national team succumbed to the weight of its incompetence, compounded by the enormous emotional burden each player carried onto the field. Once again, they sang the National Anthem as if they were warriors, not football players. Once again, they fought for third place to save the honor of the nation.
What truly defines the players' thinking is David Luiz's emblematic phrase after the crushing defeat to Germany: "I just wanted to bring some joy to my people, my people who suffer so much. Unfortunately, we couldn't. I wanted to see my people smile. Everyone knows how important it was for me to see the whole of Brazil happy, at least because of football."
This shallow, yet well-intentioned, sociological analysis of our hero-captain (and poor country that needs heroes, as Bertolt Brecht once said) symbolizes all the weight that has been placed on the Brazilian national team once again.
Certainly, this idea that it is the responsibility of each player to bring joy to the Brazilian people, at least in football, was instilled in them during endless self-help sessions where the supposed coach dealt with the spirit of his warriors, forgetting to practice plays, to devise tactical schemes that would neutralize our opponents.
Nothing resembling organized play was seen in the stadiums, but there was a lot of emotion, various symbols like Neymar's shirt indicating his presence, a 12th player in spirit.
The counterpoint to this patriotic oppression could be seen in the German and Dutch players, walking calmly along the beaches where they were training, dancing with indigenous people in Bahia, signing autographs on the beaches of Rio, and mingling with the crowds of fans.
The distorted view of the players' mission beyond the four lines of the field, overburdening them to the point of paralyzing their actions, is a consequence of misguided objectives. To imagine that it is their responsibility to bring joy to the Brazilian people, at least in football, already embodies a deceptive, critical political vision, as if a victory for the Brazilian national team were enough to give the people the strength to endure a difficult life.
From a purely footballing perspective, the German Özil summed up the situation well: "You have a wonderful country, fantastic people and incredible players – this game can't destroy your pride!" Podolski, after praising the Brazilian national team and stating that "the heroes who inspired us are all from here," offered wise advice to the fans:
Fights in the streets, chaos, protests won't solve or change anything. When the World Cup is over and we leave, everything will go back to normal. So, much peace and love to these wonderful people, a humble, hardworking and honest people, a country that I have learned to love.
The difference lies in the perspectives of the Brazilian and German players: ours set aside technique to dedicate themselves body and soul to the goal of becoming champions by any means necessary, as they had already started the tournament with their hand on the trophy, as technical advisor Parreira had determined.
The Germans, as Podolski said in his message, executed on the field the technique developed with much effort and dedication in previous years, to recover from the defeats since Euro 2000. Without mixing national pride with football, leaving the metaphor of the great Nelson Rodrigues in its literary dimension.
And even less so to mix football with politics.
This shallow, yet well-intentioned, sociological analysis of our hero-captain (and poor country that needs heroes, as Bertolt Brecht once said) symbolizes all the weight that has been placed on the Brazilian national team once again.
Certainly, this idea that it is the responsibility of each player to bring joy to the Brazilian people, at least in football, was instilled in them during endless self-help sessions where the supposed coach dealt with the spirit of his warriors, forgetting to practice plays, to devise tactical schemes that would neutralize our opponents.
Nothing resembling organized play was seen in the stadiums, but there was a lot of emotion, various symbols like Neymar's shirt indicating his presence, a 12th player in spirit.
The counterpoint to this patriotic oppression could be seen in the German and Dutch players, walking calmly along the beaches where they were training, dancing with indigenous people in Bahia, signing autographs on the beaches of Rio, and mingling with the crowds of fans.
The distorted view of the players' mission beyond the four lines of the field, overburdening them to the point of paralyzing their actions, is a consequence of misguided objectives. To imagine that it is their responsibility to bring joy to the Brazilian people, at least in football, already embodies a deceptive, critical political vision, as if a victory for the Brazilian national team were enough to give the people the strength to endure a difficult life.
From a purely footballing perspective, the German Özil summed up the situation well: "You have a wonderful country, fantastic people and incredible players – this game can't destroy your pride!" Podolski, after praising the Brazilian national team and stating that "the heroes who inspired us are all from here," offered wise advice to the fans:
Fights in the streets, chaos, protests won't solve or change anything. When the World Cup is over and we leave, everything will go back to normal. So, much peace and love to these wonderful people, a humble, hardworking and honest people, a country that I have learned to love.
The difference lies in the perspectives of the Brazilian and German players: ours set aside technique to dedicate themselves body and soul to the goal of becoming champions by any means necessary, as they had already started the tournament with their hand on the trophy, as technical advisor Parreira had determined.
The Germans, as Podolski said in his message, executed on the field the technique developed with much effort and dedication in previous years, to recover from the defeats since Euro 2000. Without mixing national pride with football, leaving the metaphor of the great Nelson Rodrigues in its literary dimension.
And even less so to mix football with politics.