Brazil

When learning about the beautiful game there are things that are passed on directly and that which does not even need to be said.  As a child of the nineties, Brazil were the full stop at the end of any sentence to do with international football.  Their side was a virtual world eleven, brimming with flair and attacking talent.  As such, I couldn't stand them.

Unlike the more functional Germany and Italy sides, their cavalier approach which warmed them to so many never quite sat right with my younger self.  It felt unfair to be that talented and successful.  Defending was a side of the game that I have always identified with, partly down to lacking the kind of technical ability that came far too naturally for them.  Jealousy aside, I'd always had a thing for flawed genius.  You can have all the talents in the world but it somehow meant more to me if the biggest obstacle to to overcome was within.  Part of that is perhaps why I always preferred Maradona to Pele.  

Ronaldinho was such a fascinating player to watch because he was arguably the first truly great player I had the benefit of seeing on a regular basis.  He is also an incredible enigma given that his medal collection should be enough to substantiate his claims to have been one of the best of his generation and yet there is this sense of wasted potential that seems hard to shake.  

My attitude toward them has improved dramatically as I've gotten older.  France proved that they were mortal and then Spain  took over their mantle on the world stage.  The weight of expectation on a team to regain their crown, not just to win but to accomplish that in a certain style may be too much for them but it will certainly be fascinating to watch as the tournament progresses.   That romantic notion of Brazil which I turned my back on for so long is now something I'm willing to buy into.