The result speaks for itself. After disappointment at the 2011 Copa America and 2010 World Cup, Brazil claimed another major title Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, and while most of us questioned the prestige of the Confederations Cup before the competition kicked off two weeks ago, it’s hard to say this tournament doesn’t mean anything after the displays we saw in Brazil.
Is it as prestigious as the World Cup? Of course not. Are teams going to prioritize this ahead of their regional titles? Probably not. But are these teams trying to win? Is this trophy reason to celebrate? Yes. Now, and for perhaps the first time in the history of this competition, this tournament means something, a prestige that was reflected in the quality of the 2013 tournament.
That makes Brazil’s performance even more valuable, though if you want to get some insight into the success of their team, you can look to the contributions of its individual parts. From the production of Fred up top to the performance of Julio Cesar in net, Brazil saw a series of individual questions answered. As a result, it’s not hard to imagine the core that will carry Brazil’s hopes into the 2014 World Cup.
Starting in attack, it’s hard to see this as anything but a breakout for Neymar, who not only had stagnated (at an admittedly high level) in Brazil but failed to have the type of international impact that would alleviate doubts. That statement’s now forever cast in the past tense. He was deservedly judged the tournament’s best player.
Fred (pictured), however, may have calmed as many doubts as Neymar. His limitations as a number nine left many nervous as Luiz Felipe Scolari relied on him in the wake of Leandro Damiao (injured for this tournament), but with a tournament co-leading five goals, the Fluminense star made his case to stay Brazil’s first choice number nine.
In midfield, Oscar continues to show signings of a player that can dictate games on the international stage, while Paulinho (right) may have made Corinthians a few extra million, should his current club pay hardball with Tottenham. Though a fee between Tottenham and the Sao Paulo club was said to be agreed, few would fault Corinthians for trying to up a fee for a man who won the Bronze Ball.
At the back, qualms about David Luiz’s play continue to be exaggerated as his partnership with Thiago Silva becomes one of the more enviable in the world. To their left, Marcelo teamed with neymar to create nightmares down Brazil’s left. Should Scolari persist with two deep midfielders (between Paulinho and Bayern Munich’s Luiz Gustavo), Marcelo and opposing back Dani Alves will have license to provide width while Neymar and Hulk cut onto their strong feet.
And in goal, Julio Cesar made Harry Redknapp’s QPR decisions look even more questionable. When Robert Green was getting more time than Cesar, you had to trust the manager’s evaluation, no matter how counterintuitive it seemed. But after watching Cesar with Brazil, it’s hard to think the long-time Brazilian number one has faded that much from the form he showed at Inter Milan. And if he’s anywhere close to the keeper that helped that club to the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League, there’s no way he should be losing time to Green.
Like the rest of his team, Cesar’s performance deflated doubts, giving some perspective to the 22nd FIFA ranking the Seleçao carried into the tournament. But that ranking reflected the lack of competitive matches the team’s had since Copa America, a span in which the team has regrouped. With new leadership (that deserves a large amount of this credit) having forged an entirely new identity, a new collection of stars shined at the Confederations Cup.
