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Previous appearances in finals: 18
Nicknames:
Canarinho (Little Canary)
A Seleção (The Selection)
Verde-Amarela (Green and Yellow)
The Samba Kings
Best performance:
Winners in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
Runners up in 1950, 1998
Coach: Dunga, who was Brazil's World Cup-winning captain in 1994, having rebounded from a miserable experience four years earlier when he was made the scapegoat for their second-round exit. Appointed shortly after the 2006 World Cup, despite having almost no top-level coaching experience, to instill discipline and pride into the team. He has since won the 2007 Copa America and 2009 Confederations Cup, although many purists dislike the team's counter-attacking style under his leadership.
Captain: Lucio
Key Players:
Kaka
Age: 28
Position: Midfielder
Club: Real Madrid
World Cup Finals appearances: 6 (2002, 2006)
Goals: 1
FIFA's World Player of the Year in 2007, Kaka, full name Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, is still regarded as one of the world's top players. Excellent long-range shooting and incisive passing are both strengths but he is at his most exciting when picking up the ball near the halfway line and then surging towards goal. Ever-present in 2006, he also won a World Cup winners' medal four years earlier as a teenager although he made only a brief appearance in the campaign.
Luis Fabiano
Age: 29
Position: Forward
Club: Sevilla
FIFA World Cup Qualifier appearances (2006, 2010): 15
Goals: 10
The "Fabulous One" scored ten goals in 15 World Cup qualifiers including braces against Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Argentina, making him Brazil's top scorer in the campaign. His combination of power and accuracy makes him perfect for Dunga's counter-attacking style.
Julio Cesar
Age: 30
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Inter Milan
FIFA World Cup Qualifier appearances (2006, 2010): 20
Goals: 0
Cesar has emerged as one of the world's top goalkeepers. In several of Brazil's apparently easy World Cup wins - notably the 4-0 victories in Venezuela and Uruguay - he made the difference with outstanding saves early in the game.
FIFA world ranking May 2010: 1
How they qualified: Brazil sailed through the potentially tricky South American World Cup group, booking their place with three matches to spare in the best way possible with a 3-1 away to arch-rivals Argentina. Their best performances were away from home, including a 3-0 win in Chile and 4-0 wins in Uruguay and Venezuela. Their biggest problems were at home facing massed defences and they were held to goalless draws by Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. Their only defeats in the 18 matches were against Paraguay and Bolivia, the latter at extreme altitude after they had already qualified.
Prospects: Dunga has turned Brazil into a ruthlessly efficient outfit, even if they are not particularly attractive to watch. They are capable of soaking up pressure for long periods and then hitting their opponents with counter-attacks of astonishing power and precision. The air of overconfidence which has preceded their 2006 campaign has been swept away, making them a good bet for a sixth world title.
World Cup 2010 Squad:
Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter/ITA), Doni (Roma/ITA), Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham/ENG)
Former PFA Player of the Year (2007) Kaka, will be a key figure in the Brazilian plan to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup. (Gallo)
Nicknames:
Canarinho (Little Canary)
A Seleção (The Selection)
Verde-Amarela (Green and Yellow)
The Samba Kings
Best performance:
Winners in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
Runners up in 1950, 1998
Coach: Dunga, who was Brazil's World Cup-winning captain in 1994, having rebounded from a miserable experience four years earlier when he was made the scapegoat for their second-round exit. Appointed shortly after the 2006 World Cup, despite having almost no top-level coaching experience, to instill discipline and pride into the team. He has since won the 2007 Copa America and 2009 Confederations Cup, although many purists dislike the team's counter-attacking style under his leadership.
Captain: Lucio
Key Players:
Kaka
Age: 28
Position: Midfielder
Club: Real Madrid
World Cup Finals appearances: 6 (2002, 2006)
Goals: 1
FIFA's World Player of the Year in 2007, Kaka, full name Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, is still regarded as one of the world's top players. Excellent long-range shooting and incisive passing are both strengths but he is at his most exciting when picking up the ball near the halfway line and then surging towards goal. Ever-present in 2006, he also won a World Cup winners' medal four years earlier as a teenager although he made only a brief appearance in the campaign.
Luis Fabiano
Age: 29
Position: Forward
Club: Sevilla
FIFA World Cup Qualifier appearances (2006, 2010): 15
Goals: 10
The "Fabulous One" scored ten goals in 15 World Cup qualifiers including braces against Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Argentina, making him Brazil's top scorer in the campaign. His combination of power and accuracy makes him perfect for Dunga's counter-attacking style.
Julio Cesar
Age: 30
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Inter Milan
FIFA World Cup Qualifier appearances (2006, 2010): 20
Goals: 0
Cesar has emerged as one of the world's top goalkeepers. In several of Brazil's apparently easy World Cup wins - notably the 4-0 victories in Venezuela and Uruguay - he made the difference with outstanding saves early in the game.
FIFA world ranking May 2010: 1
How they qualified: Brazil sailed through the potentially tricky South American World Cup group, booking their place with three matches to spare in the best way possible with a 3-1 away to arch-rivals Argentina. Their best performances were away from home, including a 3-0 win in Chile and 4-0 wins in Uruguay and Venezuela. Their biggest problems were at home facing massed defences and they were held to goalless draws by Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. Their only defeats in the 18 matches were against Paraguay and Bolivia, the latter at extreme altitude after they had already qualified.
Prospects: Dunga has turned Brazil into a ruthlessly efficient outfit, even if they are not particularly attractive to watch. They are capable of soaking up pressure for long periods and then hitting their opponents with counter-attacks of astonishing power and precision. The air of overconfidence which has preceded their 2006 campaign has been swept away, making them a good bet for a sixth world title.
World Cup 2010 Squad:
Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter/ITA), Doni (Roma/ITA), Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham/ENG)
Defenders: Luisao (Benfica/POR), Lucio (Inter/ITA), Juan (Roma/ITA), Thiago Silva (AC Milan/ITA), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/ESP), Maicon (Inter/ITA)
Midfielders: Michel Bastos (Lyon/FRA), Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos/GRE), Josue (Wolfsburg/GER), Elano (Galatasaray/TUR), Kaka (Real Madrid/ESP), Ramires (Benfica/POR), Felipe Melo (Juventus/ITA), Julio Baptista (Roma/ITA), Kleberson (Flamengo)
Forwards: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/ESP), Nilmar (Villarreal/ESP), Grafite (Wolfsburg/GER), Robinho (Santos)
Former PFA Player of the Year (2007) Kaka, will be a key figure in the Brazilian plan to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup. (Gallo)
