Some of the world class Brazilians to play against Scotland
As we approach the World Cup, the well exhilarated fixture between Scotland and Brazil comes closer day by day. So, here are some well-known Brazilian icons that have previously played against Scotland. Pele – One of the greatest of all time Pele, featured at Hampden Park for a friendly fixture against Scotland. And there is a fantastic story behind it. Brazil used Troon Juniors ground to train for the fixture, while Pele soaked in the atmosphere with the locals at the seaside. A whopping 75,000 people were in attendance for the 1-1 draw at Hampden Park, were Celtic’s Stevie Chalmers scored for Scotland. The Brazilian icon and three-time World Cup winner scored 77 goals in 92 official international matches. As well as over 640 goals in 659 appearances for Santos. Jairzinho – Jairzinho met Scotland on four occasions, he scored in one of the fixtures. He achieved one World Cup in his career, as well as nine goals in 16 appearances in the competition. When he won the World Cup in 1970, he took the headline’s and scored in all six of Brazil’s fixtures, a record that is still unbroken to this day. A Botafogo legend, as well as a World Cup hero, Jairzinho will always go down in history for his fantastic footballing ability. Zico – Zico met Scotland twice, and damaged Scotland on both occasions, scoring two goals in two matches. Zico often gets noted as the best player to not win a World Cup, which speaks greatly about his talent. In 1982 especially, one of the greatest ever Brazil teams were knocked out by Italy, crushing all hopes in grabbing another World Cup title. However, Zico’s career was phenomenal. A great servant to Flamengo and Brazil, saw him lead his club to several titles in his time. For Brazil, Zico is in the top five for all time scorers for country, scoring 48 goals in 71 appearances. Roberto Carlos – Roberto Carlos met Scotland in the World Cup of 1998, when they defeated Craig Brown’s side 2-1. The one-time World Cup winner, two-time Copa America winner and three-time Champions League winner had an incredible career. Carlos was also a World Cup runner up in the France 98’ competition. The Brazilian is commonly believed to be one of the best left-backs of all time. With his fantastic period at Real Madrid, his cross of the ball and spectacular free-kicks were simply regarded as outstanding. Cafu – Cafu met Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France. The two-time World Cup winner, two-time Copa America winner and Champions league winner with AC Milan is also commonly believed to be one of the best full-backs in history. Cafu captained Brazil to the 2002 World Cup in Japan. With 143 appearances for country, Cafu remains as the highest capped Brazilian in history, which emphasises the special career he had. Rivaldo – Rivaldo was also part of that squad that defeated Scotland in 98’. His incredible career was awarded with a Ballon d’Or in 1999 while playing with Barcelona, one World Cup, one Copa America, one Champions League with AC Milan and two La Liga’s with Barcelona. Also being regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders of all time, and a crucial factor of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup victory. Ronaldo – Ronaldo also featured in that Brazil squad that defeated Scotland in 98’. The Brazilian icon won two World Cups, two Copa America’s and received two Ballon d’Or’s. On top of that, he had a magnificent career at great clubs such as Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan. He scored over 400 goals throughout his career. The striker is also well known for his haircut during the 2002 World Cup. Neymar – Neymar met Scotland in a friendly in 2011, he scored the two goals in a 2-0 win. Neymar has won one Champions League in his career and became the highest goal scoring player ever for Brazil, as well as playing 123 times for the national team. The Brazilian also has a remarkable achievement of over 700 goal contributions throughout his career so far. Neymar also made a record-breaking transfer move in 2017, when he moved from Barcelona to PSG for €222 million.
“You’ve Got to Win at Least Five or Six to Have a Good Chance” – Celtic Skipper Delivers Title Verdict
Celtic captain Callum McGregor says that his side have to win at least ‘five or six’ of their remaining seven Premiership fixtures to have any hope of defending their league crown. The title holders’ grip on the trophy loosened after a 2-0 defeat at Dundee United on Sunday, plighting them five points behind leaders Hearts and two behind second placed Rangers. And experienced McGregor calls on composure from everyone from a Celtic standpoint. The 32-year-old said: “We know where we are and I think now is the time for calm heads. “I get that it is emotional, people will be emotional and angry about the result, none more so than the players. It’s their life, what they give to the game and what they give to the club. “But in a time like this, you need to be calm. We have been here many, many times.” It is the eighth time Celtic have suffered defeat in the league this season, and no team have ever won the league with as many losses inflicted. McGregor believes however that the league is still there to be won. “You don’t want to lose football games, but there is still so much football to be played. “The top five teams are really competitive, so there’s points to play for there. “We’ll see if we need to win them all [remaining fixtures] or not, but I think we have to go on a run. “Certainly, you’ve got to win at least five or six to have a good chance.” Celtic’s title hopes hang in the balance of a unique three-horse-race, and McGregor feels that his club’s drop in standard is the reason for the title tug-of-war being so tight this campaign. “I think we’ve probably manufactured it ourselves a wee bit, if I’m being honest. “Now there’s a big challenge. We’ve had tight ones over the years, but probably only two teams going for it. “Now there’s obviously three and you have to be competitive in every game.” Celtic’s next fixture is another trip to Dundee after the International break, facing the dark blue side of Tannadice Street in a game which could see the Glasgow giants lose their fourth game in the city of Dundee this season.
