10/22/2022 – 10:01 am
Who will be world champion 2022? If Brazil’s football legend Ronaldo (46) has his way, his home country has the best chances 20 years after the Selecao last won the World Cup in Qatar this winter.
The 2002 world champion told the Süddeutsche Zeitung: “Brazil makes a very good impression on me. It’s a super favourite.” Ronaldo explains: “Not so much because of the way they play. But simply because it’s Brazil, because Brazil are always favorites and we have the talent that we have.”
For the double goal scorer in the 2002 World Cup final against Germany, teams like Spain or the DFB team also have a good chance of going far in Qatar. “I saw dynamic, aggressive, physically strong, fast European teams, tactically very organized. Some goals were downright à la Brasil.”
Brazil’s eternal rival Argentina, where superstar Lionel Messi (35) will go to his last World Cup tournament, also counts Ronaldo among the favorites: “Be careful: Argentina has been unbeaten in 35 games.”
Longtime international Ronaldo was instrumental in Brazil’s last World Cup win at the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea. In the 2-0 win in the final against Germany in Yokohama, he scored both goals and was top scorer with eight goals. The blunder of goalkeeping titan Oliver Kahn (53), who let a shot from Rivaldo (50) bounce off and Ronaldo only had to dust off to make it 1-0, was legendary.
In front of the cameras
Here Messi makes a reporter cry
Those: Twitter.de/@giraltpablo
Overall, Ronaldo completed 99 caps for Brazil (62 goals). In 2011 he ended his career.
At the World Cup in Qatar, Brazil will face Switzerland, Serbia and Cameroon in Group G. The tournament begins on November 20th and ends just before Christmas on December 18th with the final at Lusail Stadium in the city of Lusail.
