The Gaucho's Wild Ride

Brazil's youngest football superstar had been playing a background role tothe national team's uneven performance in FIFA's 2002 World Cup. Althoughproviding Rivaldo with a textbook perfect pass that led to the first of the"Selection's" two goals, and eliminating Belgium in the process,Ronaldinho Gaucho still lay in the shadows.

He had yet to demonstrate the dashing dribbles with which he has beenthrilling fans of Paris Saint-Germain this year. Only true football die-hardswould have seen these highlights re-transmitted on Brazilian TV. For the rest ofthe country, the promising Ronaldinho had simply vanished.

Back in 1999, Ronaldo De Assis Moreira was part of the champion Gremio teamfrom the southern Gaucho state of Rio Grande do Sul before being transferred toManchester United. After suffering knee problems, his ties to the dream ofEuropean club success started to flounder.

Parting paths with Manchester, he ended being barred from playing as hisfuture wove its way from  negotiation to rejection with a handful ofinterested teams. The 22-year-old striker first came to prominence duringBrazil's 1999 Copa America victory, and then as leading striker in theConfederations Cup of the same year.

When at last rid of the red tape, Ronaldinho reappeared and re-emerged inParis, France. In the meantime, his muscle density had been pumped prominentlyto provide flying buttresses to his spiralling attacks.

Brazil entered its semi-final confrontation with England almost with itscollective head bowed. Following a truly pitiful performance against Belgium butfor the last ten minutes when victory was sealed, the world's sports press wenton to declare Brazil unworthy of beating Beckham's boys.

In the vindictive verses of France's L'Equipe, and Italy, Spain andArgentina's ress, Brazil won their match in the Round of 16 mainly with thereferee's help. When Belgian captain Wilmots went up for a header late in dyingminutes of the first half and sunk the ball past Marcos, the referee ruled outthe goal.

In what could only be described as a discreet hold committed againstdefenseman Roque Junior, the referee admitted later to erring on the call.

As much as the Brazilian "Selection" have recognized the manyproblems afflicting the team, the avowal has only transformed thempsychologically into underdogs -- or 'zebras' in local parlance.Uncharacteristically lined with the finest set of strikers in the world -- the"Three R's" of Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho --, with midfieldcharged up by dervish Roberto Carlos, the team is capped by a keeper as famousfor the kiss that converts his cross-signing as for the spider-like grip he usesto immobilize the ball. All Brazil lacked was to play like a team.

Some would add that what they needed was to confront a team that mattered.England, flying high from the massacre of the Danish court, had everything ittook to frame Brazil in a mock comedy. At times England appeared stricken byHamlet's doubt.

Judging by the look on keeper Seaman's face, the King's ghost itself wasguiding Ronaldinho's 39-yard free-kick as it stretched into a gravity defyingcurve to seek out the upper heights of the net. Not that the kick left teamEngland asking the perennial Shakespearean question. It was Hamlet beckoninginstead, as if bowing to their masters: "Speak to us, Ronaldinho, for thouart a scholar!"

As if to correct the well-publicized issue of overly sympathetic referees toBrazil's team, Felipe Ramos Rizo sought neutrality, which actually providedBeckham with some touch proof whistle blowing. After having dashed France'shopes in the qualifying round by dismissing Thierry Henry 15 minutes into theirsecond match, Mexican referee Rizo now decided to send the Gaucho star off for awalk. The fancy footer from the PSG had just confused Danny Mill's foot with theball in what was clearly an unintentional foul, although a recurrent one. Hewill side with this thought while sitting out the semi-final match againstTurkey.

This is also why a yellow card would have slapped the appropriate hand. Butin dismissing Ronaldinho to the amazement and panic of his teammates the refereeconverted the red into a green card for Brazil to tighten up their failing groupdynamic into claustrophobic cohesion against which England's clamoring chargecame to nil.

Midfielder Kleberson, replacing Juninho following the latter's confusedperformance against Belgium, not only aligned Brazil's defense in a blockformation the team had only hallucinated about achieving. He also pushed thereduced 10-man squad up into the opponent's end for at least half of the 30minutes of grace England was bestowed.

Brazil's coach "Big Phil" then made the key change to hisperformance in this Cup. In a move to relieve Ronaldo from a painful knee andsuffocating 3-man mark paralyzing him for most of the game, Scolari sent inEdilson.

Drawing nimble arabesques around the stumbling English defense andmidfielders, the former Flamengo striker had them wondering whether he would besprinting forward or back. And the court jester kept the ball at safety'sdistance from the penalty area.

Much earlier in a seemingly different game, Michael Owen managed England'sonly goal on what was a backfield error committed by the otherwise impeccableLucio. As the ball was shot forward from midfield, the Bayer Leverkusendefenseman lost control as it bounced from his chest -- with Owen crawling uphis back. As Marcos sprinted out of the zone to slam down Owen's range, theLiverpool striker clipped one just over the tips of his miscalculating fingers.

As for the living link between England's football culture and pop trends,Beckham's passing was measured astutely with balls cutting through the air inbeautiful geometric patterns. Still, the perfection of the Imperial  systemwilted when faced with the fuzzy logic of the samba strikers as Ronaldinho burstthrough England's defense at 39 minutes, passing to Rivaldo only after havingcompletely drawn four defensemen off balance.

Rivaldo's left foot tore Seamen's arms beyond extension, hopping underneathand filling in the lower left corner of the net.

Ronaldinho's free kick 5 minutes into the second trumped the defendingEnglishmen, who were evidently expecting a cross. As the ball tied Seaman'slimbs into a mariner's knot, Brazil's "beautiful game" turned into theworld's most exciting show.

Shades of the 1970 final, indeed. captain Cafu, who had warned theweak-hearted to sleep through the game (broadcast at 3:30 am Rio time), couldnot temper the smile pasted on his face. "We won it for Ronaldinho,"he said. The Gaucho's wild ride brought the "Selection" the key rushand pass for the tying goal, and the free-kick winner.

Yet for the fans back home, perhaps most important was the redemption hebrought to the team in this victory. With punishing refereeing against the"Selection", grounds for claiming favoritism were wiped clean.

Nor was there the shame of hyper-individualist brilliance gained only at theexpense of team cohesion. "Big Phil's" greatest victory finallyhappened with the perfect oscillation of a team whose looseness he profoundlybelieves is the source of its creative explosions, but whose fabric had thus farfallen short of ideal tautness.

Still an underdog whose every step is chained to Promethean tasks? "BigPhil"would not have it any other way. History may have dribbled strangepsychological reversals in this Cup. After all, France had fanned in an inverserepetition to what Brazil had suffered in the 1998 final when their star playerwas reduced by injury. And now impermeable defense squads shifted sides underthe dramatic strain of a 30-minute 11-to-10-man game.

By contrast, the results of 1970 when Brazil put England away at 1-0, as 8lbsof each player were dedicated to the scorching afternoon Mexican sun, is aconstant the whole country has joyously relived. Brazzzzzill.

Norman Madarasz writes from Rio de Janeiro. He welcomes comments atnormanmadarasz@hotmail.com.

This article was initially published in CounterPunch on June 21, 2002.