Brazil - Five times FIFA Champions arrive in South Africa
Five times World Champions, Brazil arrived in Johannesburg to start their campaign in the FIFA World cup set to start on the 11th of June.
The South American powerhouse has been the team to beat in all World competitions and their pedigree can be gauged by their phenomenal record in the tournament.
The national team made their entry in the refurbished Johannesburg International Airport, set to be the most frequented destiny over the course of next two months.
The South Americans, who last won the tournament in 2002, when the tournament was orgainsed in Asia for the first time arrived in Johannesburg early on Thursday two weeks before Africa's first World Cup kicks off.
The five times World champions are the most successful nation in the history of the world cup.
Their outstanding record of five tournament wins is unprecedented and they also remain the only team to have qualified for every edition of the World Cup since the inaugural tournament was staged in Uruguay in 1930.
The present coach of the team, Dunga captained his side to success in 1994 but things don’t seem to be as rosy in this year’s edition of the most prestigious sporting event in the world.
Dunga has been under fire from critics of the game in the South American powerhouse.
The criticism has generally been directed towards his squad selection, most notably with the exclusion of AC Milan's creative midfielders Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato.
The South Americans, who are set to host the next edition of the World cup in 2014 pipped Chile and Paraguay to finish top of the South American qualifying group.
However, they have a tough ride in the tournament as they have been placed in a tough group also being dubbed as "the group of death" against Portugal and the Ivory Coast with North Korea completing the line up in Group G.
The Brazilians also hold another exceptional record, and barring their neighbours Argentina's victory in Mexico 1986, they remain the only side to have won a World Cup outside their continent.
But where the score over neighbours is the sheer magnitude of their success, the Brazilians have secured these wins on more than one occasion.
The Brazilians succeeded in managing to win the prized gold trophy in Sweden in 1958, Mexico in 1970, the United States in 1994 and South Korea/Japan in 2002.
The South Americans received a boost ahead of the tournament as they touched down in South Africa, with the news that they had regained the number one FIFA World ranking from hot favourites Spain.
The hottest commodity in international sport, who won the Confederations Cup last summer in South Africa, will play their opening match against the North Koreans on June 15 at Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium.
Once again their supporters are backing their team to the hilt as football passion touches its peak in the country; Brazilians are crazy about their super stars and sporting heroes. Where football is not only a sport, let alone religion but it’s a way of life. Football has a major effect on Brazilian culture.
Already extensive plans are underway and elaborate plans are in place for the screening of Brazil’s matches.
Yet the Brazilian team would have to keep this in their mind that their countrymen would not settle for anything less than the trophy. Brazil must be the favourite to win the 2010 World Cup. They also have the choice of Maicon and Alves at the back which gives Coach Dunga the choice between two of the best right backs in the world. His 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup and his reserves caused quite a stir when Ronaldiho was excluded however.
If the trophy returns to the world’s Mecca of football, the nation will be in delirium and there would be non-stop celebrations and partying in Rio, Sao Paulo in fact all around the country.
There is a well known saying "The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it”
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