FanZoner Brett Mendoza is backing Brazil to win a sixth World Cup trophy in South Africa - and do it in style.
Brazil will go all the way
It's Valentines Day in Brazil and all the romantics are hoping the Gods are going to spread a little Vagner Love and make Brazil entertain their way to winning their sixth World Cup on their fifth different continent.
This is it, the preparations are over, the trash talking has finished and it's time for the football to do the talking.
Brazil finished their World Cup preparations with a 5-1 thrashing of Tanzania, but it was the country's President that I noticed grabbed the headlines. Lula da Silva had been mocking arch rivals Argentina for allowing WAGs into the training camp and not banning the players from their own bed time exercises.
Brazil start their 2010 World Cup campaign against minnows North Korea on Tuesday, but it was referee Carlos Simon who was the first Brazilian to take to the World Cup centre stage when he dished out no less than six yellow cards during England and USA's 1-1 draw in Rustenberg.
A Brazilian has already introduced his name to the world stage, and he goes by the name of Cacau. I was at home tucking into Germany vs Australia when Cacau, a German resident of about all of 10 minutes, came on as a sub for Germany. Five minutes later, he was in the six-yard box on the end of a cross tapping home the German's fourth goal.
Tulio, another Brazilian also featured for Japan in their 1-0 victory over Cameroon. If you are an England fan you will recognise him from the pre tournament friendly in where he scored both Japan and England in Austria.
As pointed out to me by a few people, I know I meant to say Romario in my first blog, but typed Romaria by accident. But you all knew who I meant because of his famous nickname. Romario is one of the few Brazilian players whose common (or nick) name is part of his actual full length name (Romário de Souza Faria).
The beautiful game
I find it weird that the Brazilian team are globally known by their nicknames and not their real names. The prime example is Edison Arantes do Nascimento. To you and me, we know him by the name of Pele, and is still regarded as one of the best players to ever play the beautiful game.
The current crop of players have equally long names, but are more famously known by another alias. Sometimes it's obvious who is who when you see the full names, but other times it is near impossible to tell.
Below is a list of some players full name and a little clue as to who they are. Across the globe they are known by their one word common name, but can you work out who they are?
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite - bought for £56 million
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira - The most famous player to be dropped from the 2010 squad
Róbson de Souza - Not a fan of Manchester
Lucimar Ferreira da Silva - Towering centre-back
Edinaldo Batista Libânio - Centre forward
Italia 1990 was the first World Cup I remember, I was only nine years old, and I would spend my afternoons buying, swapping and sticking in my Panini stickers before watching the live televised game.
Twenty years later, you will be pleased to know, nothing has changed. This year there is more of a satisfying feeling as I buy them, as I know that I can afford them, but there is a surprising amount of school kids that queue up at my local shop that have £20 notes when buying their stickers. If only my parents where that generous when I was a kid!
There was, and still is some kind of special aura about a "shiny" and it is sticker number 487, the Brazilian shiny still frustratingly eludes me in my quest to complete this years album. One day it will be come, and I will be a happy man.
But for now, it's time for the team to step up and entertain the millions of viewers around the world and thousands of vuvuzela blowers inside the Ellis Park Stadium.
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