⚽ FIFA World Cup 2030: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay ⚽

[Ale88]

Brazil completely lost its soul, it's no coincidence that since 2002 their World Cup performances have been a disaster.

Should we attribute this fall to the fact that they politicized the football and stopped allowing real talents get into the squad, but those with connections?
Clearly the standard of Brazilian football is a disgrace to what existed until 2002.

Even in my country, we did better in the early days when players were selected based on real talent, we've become more of a disaster as politics and corruption proceeded the selection of players and sports sector receiving little to no funding.

Brazil has been mired in a slump regarding both performance and results for a very long time.
They won their last World Cup title in 2002, and given that the next tournament is scheduled for 2030, Brazil will have waited at least 28 years—nearly three decades—for another title; something that has never happened in their magnificent footballing history.
Interestingly, during this same period, Argentina—their main South American rival—reached the final three times and won one World Cup title with Messi in the squad.
The question arises: why can't Brazil find its own Messi, a player capable of leading them to the title?
What happened to Neymar?
Brazil once boasted an abundance of footballing talent and stars, but where have they all gone?
Unfortunately, Brazil has become an average team with a glorious past.

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

[Emjay24]

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

Brasil don't need a Messi to win the world cup, when they did back then, they didn't have a Maradona. They had other quality players that were goal minded. Let's review their 2002 squad and compare it to those that went for 2026 world cup
2002 Squad:
Marcos, Cafu, Lúcio, Roque Júnior, Edmílson, Roberto Carlos, Ricardinho, Gilberto Silva, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Dida, Juliano Belletti, Ânderson Polga, Kléberson, Júnior, Denílson, Vampeta, Juninho Paulista, Edílson, Luizão, Rogério Ceni, Kaká

2026 squad   
Alisson Becker, Ederson, Weverton, Alex Sandro, Bremer, Danilo, Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhães, Roger Ibañez, Léo Pereira, Marquinhos, Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro, Danilo Santos, Éderson, Fabinho, Lucas Paquetá, Endrick, Gabriel Martinelli, Igor Thiago, Luiz Henrique, Matheus Cunha, Neymar, Raphinha, Rayan, Vinícius Júnior

If you look carefully, you'll see that the squad are not comparable, more reason I'm suggesting it's been politicized. Some of the players in the 2026 squad are just average players that would never have received call ups in 2002.

[Daniel91]

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

Brasil don't need a Messi to win the world cup, when they did back then, they didn't have a Maradona. They had other quality players that were goal minded. Let's review their 2002 squad and compare it to those that went for 2026 world cup
2002 Squad:
Marcos, Cafu, Lúcio, Roque Júnior, Edmílson, Roberto Carlos, Ricardinho, Gilberto Silva, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Dida, Juliano Belletti, Ânderson Polga, Kléberson, Júnior, Denílson, Vampeta, Juninho Paulista, Edílson, Luizão, Rogério Ceni, Kaká

2026 squad   
Alisson Becker, Ederson, Weverton, Alex Sandro, Bremer, Danilo, Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhães, Roger Ibañez, Léo Pereira, Marquinhos, Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro, Danilo Santos, Éderson, Fabinho, Lucas Paquetá, Endrick, Gabriel Martinelli, Igor Thiago, Luiz Henrique, Matheus Cunha, Neymar, Raphinha, Rayan, Vinícius Júnior

If you look carefully, you'll see that the squad are not comparable, more reason I'm suggesting it's been politicized. Some of the players in the 2026 squad are just average players that would never have received call ups in 2002.

Did the Italy team of 2006 or the Germany team of 2014 have a player like Messi or Maradona? No, but they possessed excellent, well-drilled squads with quality players in every position—solid, resilient tournament teams that knew how to exploit opponents' weaknesses, win matches, and ultimately lift the World Cup.
If a team lacks those qualities, even a player of Neymar's caliber won't be able to help.
On the other hand, when a team *does* possess those qualities—like Argentina in recent World Cups—then Messi serves as an enhancement to the existing system and the "X-factor" needed to win the title.
Spain didn't become world champions this year because of Yamal, but rather because of their team, their system, and their organization of play.
That is why I am certain they will remain the top favorites for trophies in all upcoming European and global competitions over the next six to eight years.

[Rabata]

Brazil has completely lost what it once was, and that's a shame, because the Brazilians have made many mistakes. For example, Ancelotti is very good, but he won't bring back the players of the past. He only works with stars. I would say he shouldn't be there anymore and they should look for a Brazilian coach. And for Brazil not to end up forgotten, it has to do something urgently: go to the favelas and start looking for talent, starting with the children, reviewing every academy and looking for the players who are very good, without fear of making extraordinary plays, and start encouraging them.

Brazil has lost its rhythm and when we talk about Brazil, we think of old faces. So I agree with your statement, they should strengthen the scouting network of grassroots football across the country, provide good coaching and do their best to enhance the individual skills and creativity of young players and develop young talent without wasting it. And my opinion about Ancelotti is that he is an experienced coach but he should be considered after reviewing their past history when Brazil became five-time world champions.

They lost the rhythm quite alright but they are still they still have good quality players every year. I think if everything should work fine they are good enough to compete with every other team. In fact their squad has good quality to face each top teams but somehow they are just not able to play well as expected. I wouldn't say the problem is the coach but they are just not blending well due to some hidden reason unknown.

The problem is even if players are scouted from the grass roots it will be difficult to use them ahead of players with more exposure and experience. And if the coach manages to do that and it doesn't work out well we are still the one to criticize him for not using a more experienced and exposed players.

The Brazil team's problems will not be solved in a short time. There is no room to blame the coach or the players for the team's poor condition. To make the team better, I think that in addition to team performance, they also need to have individual quality. Because if a team has individual skilled players, they have the power to change the outcome of the match at any moment. Even if a good player is brought up from the grassroots level, it can be difficult to change the entire team, because despite having talent, they often cannot utilize that talent due to lack of experience. Again, it is not possible to do anything good for the team without talent. Players need to have both maturity and experience. That is why I think that the players in the team should have experience as well as talent. New talented players should be found and developed. A balance should be maintained between experienced and new players in the team, so that the strength of the entire team can combine and perform well.

[pewboy]

When a team continues in one style, other teams can easily understand their strategy and countermeasures, resulting in a victory for the weaker team against the stronger team. Football is evolving and great players are emerging. Teams have to update with time.

You won't find the Brazilian team in the present day that old tradition just because of evolution and changing circumstances. The European teams, the pioneers of modern football, have changed themselves over time and they are enjoying the results. If your traditional teams keep that old style, they might be out of football.

football is changing and with it also the ways of approaching matches you can see how faster football is currently privileged compared to football which is much slower and does not allow you to be very incisive in the attacking phase, i realize this can be improved in every team.

[verdinio]

I agree that there are enough talented players in the Argentina team, but we have to understand why Messi is different from them. Messi is a player whose presence in a match means that the playing structure and confidence of the entire team changes. Just to stop him the opponent's defense and the entire team's planning have to change. But ultimately it is not possible to stop Messi. The way Messi understands the opponent weakness throughout the match and scores assists or goals, is not possible with any other player. That is why even if other players score goals but assists of Messi are given more priority. It is not possible for any player in Argentina to be equal of messi now. As long as Messi is playing football no one will be able to beat Messi now. when Messi will completely retire club football to  then new players will start to come to the fore in Argentina. The media will focus on them create hype about them, and then those new icons will be discussed. Even then the way Messi has created an impact in matches other players may not be able to do it so easily.

yeah there are some talented players in the Argentine team, but it is not possible for Argentina to find a player like Messi who is a higher level than all the others, he is the goat of the game, and for now no one else can come even close to what he has done, that's why they are sorry for his farewell.

[Primark]

Brazil has lost its rhythm and when we talk about Brazil, we think of old faces. So I agree with your statement, they should strengthen the scouting network of grassroots football across the country, provide good coaching and do their best to enhance the individual skills and creativity of young players and develop young talent without wasting it. And my opinion about Ancelotti is that he is an experienced coach but he should be considered after reviewing their past history when Brazil became five-time world champions.

Does Brazil lack star players? No. They don't lack star players and they don't lack talent, but somehow the talent of the players is lost when they come to the national team. You look at players like Rafinha, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel, Alisson Becker, Ederson, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Gabriel Martinelli and Matheus Cunha. They are all key players in their respective clubs, but their performance in the national team is very bad. I never think they lack talent, rather these players lose their talent when they come to the national team. If every player can carry the performance of club football to the national team, then winning the World Cup will not be a difficult task for them. I think there is a problem in the understanding of the players.

Yes, that's what's happening. I think most of the talented players that have been produced so far are from Brazil. But they can't present themselves as strong enough when they come to the national team. I think the main reason for this problem may be the inability to create a balanced team with these players. Although there may be other reasons involved, I think this is one of the reasons. Again, there are some differences between club football and national team football. When a player plays for a club, they play with the same coach, system and teammates for the whole year. But when they come to the national team, do they get that opportunity? That's why even if you have talented players, it's not easy to create a good team with them.

[Die_empty]

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

Gifted players don't come by easily. Brazil has never gotten a player like Pele. But Argentina has been fortunate to have an exceptional player like Maradona (Messi). Neymar's biggest challenge was his constant injuries. I also think his lifestyle negatively affected his performance. Neymar was a strict partygoer, and this affected his recovery process from injuries and his health generally.

[hmbdofficial]

Gifted players don't come by easily. Brazil has never gotten a player like Pele. But Argentina has been fortunate to have an exceptional player like Maradona (Messi). Neymar's biggest challenge was his constant injuries. I also think his lifestyle negatively affected his performance. Neymar was a strict partygoer, and this affected his recovery process from injuries and his health generally.

I didn’t get to watch the pele and maradona people talk about but according to history, those are name that cannot be forgotten when football is mentioned. However, I was fortunate to watch Messi from the very beginning of his professional career. and that is why I always consider him to be greatest to ever play the game.

I’m really saddened that he will be having his final international moment for the Argentina national team later tonight, I can arguably say it will take a long time for the country to get anybody that will be like Messi again. I think the  joy is that he’s going to leave as a fulfilled player with the achievement of biggest trophies.
 

[Donneski]

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

Gifted players don't come by easily. Brazil has never gotten a player like Pele. But Argentina has been fortunate to have an exceptional player like Maradona (Messi). Neymar's biggest challenge was his constant injuries. I also think his lifestyle negatively affected his performance. Neymar was a strict partygoer, and this affected his recovery process from injuries and his health generally.

A football nation like Brazil that has so many talented players doesn't need to have a "Messi" before they can win trophies again. Apart from the Pele era where he was notably the world's most iconic footballer at that time, Brazil national team is always packed with known football superstars and I think they still do till this day. Their main problem is finding the perfect playing pattern that allows these quality players to perform at their peak whenever they're wearing that national team shirt.

[Felicity_Tide]

~snip
The question arises: why can't Brazil find its own Messi, a player capable of leading them to the title?

That's because it's almost difficult to find something close to what Messi is. Even if Neymar wasn't an injury prone player, I don't think he would have been able to lead the Brazil team to glory. The thing is, being a very good player, and having a good leadership skills are two different things, and having both is very rare. Being a good team leader that can lead a team to glory comes with a lot of responsibilities than we actually think.

And mind you, It's far much easier for a team to compete when they have a leader they can rely on especially during key moments, rather than a leader who relies heavily on the team. Neymar is a great talent, but there are players who actually perform better without a leadership role, and he's one of them.

[Somto9Light]

~snip
The question arises: why can't Brazil find its own Messi, a player capable of leading them to the title?

That's because it's almost difficult to find something close to what Messi is. Even if Neymar wasn't an injury prone player, I don't think he would have been able to lead the Brazil team to glory. The thing is, being a very good player, and having a good leadership skills are two different things, and having both is very rare. Being a good team leader that can lead a team to glory comes with a lot of responsibilities than we actually think.

And mind you, It's far much easier for a team to compete when they have a leader they can rely on especially during key moments, rather than a leader who relies heavily on the team. Neymar is a great talent, but there are players who actually perform better without a leadership role, and he's one of them.

You did a good explanation here and that is the truth when it comes to having an outstanding player in a team. Having a good leader in a team is very important because it helps create bonds and morale in a team when they know that their leader have their back even in difficult times. For example, the match between England versus Argentina, even when Argentina were losing but Lionel Messi was able to calm his team mates and in the end they found themselves winning the match through his leadership skills.

Neymar is not a team leader even though he is skillful. He would have only taken Brazil pass the level they stopped if not for his injury striken career but he wouldn't have been able to lead the team to a title. Neymar depends on his own ability rather than a team work so we can see the difference between Lionel Messi and the rest of the prominent players in his time. Messi literally plays for his teammates while his teammates returns same energy and that is why you see them winning titles effortlessly.

[Rhow]

Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

Neymar's career could have been better, but injuries have held him back. As you said, he was injured most of the time. I won't just count his injuries by numbers. In particular, some of his injuries came at a time when Brazil needed him the most. The time was in 2014 when he suffered a vertebra fracture in the quarter-final against Colombia, which ended the tournament for him. Later, he couldn't play in the semi-final against Germany. Until then, Neymar had scored four goals. Even his attack was the most important for Brazil at that time. Again, before the Copa America in 2019, he missed the entire tournament due to an ankle injury. Although Brazil won that tournament without Neymar.

[HustleZ]

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

You said quite easily to find “another” Messi. Messi is a freak of nature who has given new heights to the sport of football, yes there is a good player every 20 years but in the entire history of football there hasn’t been someone like messi so how can he be “found” that easily, considering he hasnt even retired fully from the sport. There will be a player that will resemble messi but it will be very hard to reach the stage messi has reached. No player in the coming 20-40 years can come close to him.

[Nheer]

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

You said quite easily to find “another” Messi. Messi is a freak of nature who has given new heights to the sport of football, yes there is a good player every 20 years but in the entire history of football there hasn’t been someone like messi so how can he be “found” that easily, considering he hasnt even retired fully from the sport. There will be a player that will resemble messi but it will be very hard to reach the stage messi has reached. No player in the coming 20-40 years can come close to him.

There is always new talented player coming out every generation. We had good quality players back then before Messi came so I believe there will be another generation of footballers. We've seen the likes of Yamal coming into limelight and I believe we will see more talented players soon. Don't be surprised if we get to see someone better than Messi in future because everyday new players are coming out.

Yes we can't have exact player like Messi but surely great players will come and even better than Messi. Messi and Ronaldo has been the best player we've seen in football so far but I expect football to produce more great players.

[PhilosopherKing]

Gifted players don't come by easily. Brazil has never gotten a player like Pele. But Argentina has been fortunate to have an exceptional player like Maradona (Messi). Neymar's biggest challenge was his constant injuries. I also think his lifestyle negatively affected his performance. Neymar was a strict partygoer, and this affected his recovery process from injuries and his health generally.

I didn’t get to watch the pele and maradona people talk about but according to history, those are name that cannot be forgotten when football is mentioned. However, I was fortunate to watch Messi from the very beginning of his professional career I and that is why I always consider him to be greatest to ever player the game.

I’m really saddened that he will be having his final international moment for the Argentina national team later tonight, I can arguably say it will take a long time for the country to get anybody that will be like Messi again. I think the  joy is that he’s going to leave as a fulfilled player with the achievement of biggest trophies.
 

Thank you very much for this words that you said. It is because of Messi I even use to watch Argentina matches, don't know how to cope again if he is not longer there. This is farewell match is so painful, I wish he could remain a little bit longer for us to enjoy him before he finally parts. I have never seen a player who is so humble like Messi. Even with the kind of achievement that he has, not for once has it entered his head and make him misbehave. He is different form others, hell yeah, he even behave like person that has nothing.

Marcel dandjinou is just making fool of himself with all the bragging and stuff he is spitting from his mouth. Dude is not the first goal keeper to do that. Noppert of Netherland tried that shit with Messi and regretted. Even if Messi doesn't score, he will give good assist. And if he doesn't, the goals and assist that he has score in the past is enough proof. Less that two hours remaining until the last dance of the Greatest of All Time  

[Richbased]

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

You said quite easily to find “another” Messi. Messi is a freak of nature who has given new heights to the sport of football, yes there is a good player every 20 years but in the entire history of football there hasn’t been someone like messi so how can he be “found” that easily, considering he hasnt even retired fully from the sport. There will be a player that will resemble messi but it will be very hard to reach the stage messi has reached. No player in the coming 20-40 years can come close to him.

There is always new talented player coming out every generation. We had good quality players back then before Messi came so I believe there will be another generation of footballers. We've seen the likes of Yamal coming into limelight and I believe we will see more talented players soon. Don't be surprised if we get to see someone better than Messi in future because everyday new players are coming out.

Yes we can't have exact player like Messi but surely great players will come and even better than Messi. Messi and Ronaldo has been the best player we've seen in football so far but I expect football to produce more great players.

You're right but it will be hard to see a player that can replicate the performance of Lionel Messi. I haven't really watched great players befoe Lionel Messi but I don't think there was a player that outdid him. Messi kinda player is rare and will take decades to see another player that can perform better than him. Messi is just a perfect player that this generation has witnessed, and it will take a lot of hardwork and commitment for any player to reach same milestone.

Lamine Yamal is coming up but he cannot be decorated like Lionel Messi because he doesn't have that unique characteristics that Messi have.

[Plutomanian]

You're right but it will be hard to see a player that can replicate the performance of Lionel Messi. I haven't really watched great players befoe Lionel Messi but I don't think there was a player that outdid him. Messi kinda player is rare and will take decades to see another player that can perform better than him. Messi is just a perfect player that this generation has witnessed, and it will take a lot of hardwork and commitment for any player to reach same milestone.

Lamine Yamal is coming up but he cannot be decorated like Lionel Messi because he doesn't have that unique characteristics that Messi have.

Leo Messi will not participate in the upcoming world up in 2030. This is will indeed be a great loss for Argentina because none of the Argentine players can replicate or emulate. Leo Messi deserves his flowers because he has shaken hands with paradise and have conquered football. I'm even hearing rumours about God wanting to play football so he sent Messi on earth to play football, jokingly right?

I can not imagine football without Leo Messi because he has done more than enough and he is also the major reasons why most people loves football today and are football lovers. When we're talking about Goat debates, was there anything like that? The goat debate ended a long time ago when Leo Messi won the 2022 world cup with Argentina.

[Franctoshi]

Why can't Brazil find their own Messi? You get a player like Messi every 20 years, we are possibly talking about the biggest football player ever. Neymar was an extremely good player but he got injured very often. Also, to be honest, he wasn't exactly super professional. I think he made a big mistake when he left Barcelona for PSG: despite the very good numbers in France too, since he moved his career took a step back.

Gifted players don't come by easily. Brazil has never gotten a player like Pele. But Argentina has been fortunate to have an exceptional player like Maradona (Messi). Neymar's biggest challenge was his constant injuries. I also think his lifestyle negatively affected his performance. Neymar was a strict partygoer, and this affected his recovery process from injuries and his health generally.

When it comes to Brazil football history, Pele name is exceptional, but there has also been quite a good number of other gifted players after Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka, just that they didn't reign and lasted long as Pele did. If you check, there's one thing in common among these "gifted players" you made mention of, which is that they reigned for about two decades: Pele (1956-1977), 21 years of football career; Maradona (1976-1997); and we all have witnessed how many years that Lionel Messi and Ronaldo have played so far.

[AYOBA]

The void of Messi will definitely affect Argentina and finding a replacement for Messi will definitely be a very difficult task for Argentina. But if we continue to see such a good relationship and mutual understanding between the team as it is now, then the void of Messi will definitely not be felt by the Argentina team very much. Because Cristiano Ronaldo is a very good player, but we have seen a good relationship between their team which has created a lot of influence on the field. That is why we can hope that if they can maintain this relationship between them, then we will definitely see something good.

The only thing I can say is that Argentina is going to miss Messi but, that doesn’t mean it can affect them totally since they’ve so many players in the team, they will be a player in the team but is not showing case. When the season come that Messi will be unavailable some of the players that are so talented will begin display themselves, which their performances is up to standard like Messi. But for now they will not see those players as the lover Messi has cover everything, and that’s why most of saying that without Messi Argentina would find their matches difficult which I don’t think such things to happen for the team.