Internet Desk: The Confederations Cup 2017 has already begun in Russia last week. The tournament is regarded as a dress rehearsal for the country which hosts the next World Cup. But there is a curse regarding this tournament too. The winner of this tournament hadn’t won the next year’s World Cup till now and as a result the Portugal side led by Cristiano Ronaldo would not want to win this tournament.
If a participating team faces any problem during the tournament, they can rectify that in a year’s time. The Confederations Cup is also a learning experience for the teams too who will take part in the World Cup too.
A lot of big names are in action in Russia right now. Euro Cup winner Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo, World Cup champions Germany, Copa America holders Chile, Gold Cup winners Mexico and many others.
Though the Confederations Cup is still a new competition the tournament started in 1992 but it was known with another name as the King Fahd Cup. The inaugural season of the tournament was held in Saudi Arabia with just four teams. Among them Argentina emerged as the winners.
The second edition of the tournament was held in 1995 again in Saudi Arabia with six countries. Among them Denmark turned out as the Champions.
Five-time World Champions Brazil was the champions in 1997. They thrashed minnow Australia 6-0 in the final where Romario and Ronaldo both scored hat-tricks. Denilson was adjudged the Player of the Tournament.
It was a fine Selecao squad and one that would remain largely unchanged for the 1998 World Cup in France. That tournament was, largely, routine for Brazil. They reached the final, playing some excellent football in the process.
But fate conspired against Brazil. Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit on the eve of the game and was, entirely understandably, a shadow of himself in the final. Hosts France, inspired by Zinedine Zidane, won 3-0.
In 1999 the Confederations Cup was held in Mexico and was won by the hosts. Two years later and the tournament had its first outing as the World Cup dress rehearsal.
The 2001 edition of the Confederations Cup, held in Japan and South Korea, was won by then reigning world and European champions France. Robert Pires ended as Player of the Tournament and he also won the Golden Shoe for being top scorer.
That France squad was incredibly strong, yet didn’t include the likes of Zidane and Thierry Henry. A full cast was in place, however, for the World Cup a year later but France imploded and were, shockingly, knocked out in the group stages.
And so a trend began.
France would host and win the 2003 Confederations Cup while two years later, in Germany, an effervescent Brazil side, which included the likes of Kaka, Robinho, Ronaldinho and Adriano, who finished top scorer with five goals, defeated Argentina 4-1 in the final to come away victorious.
Come the World Cup in 2006 Brazil were one of the favourites. It was a squad packed full of young talent but also included the likes of Ronaldo, Cafu, Roberto Carlos
But, under the guidance of Carlos Alberto Parreira, the side never truly clicked into gear. They lacked their traditional samba flair. Was there too much expectation? Perhaps. Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by France.
From 2005 the Confederations Cup would be played every four years and would be held in the country hosting the next World Cup. So in 2009, South Africa were the hosts.
Spain were undoubtedly favourites to win the competition given they were reigning European champions and their squad was ludicrously strong. But it was Brazil, coached by Dunga, who were victorious. They beat the USA, who’d shocked Spain in the semi-final, 3-2.
And yet, come the 2010 World Cup, the Selecao again underwhelmed. Dunga’s Brazil were uninspiring and they were eliminated by eventual finalists Holland. Spain would go on to win the competition, perhaps learning lessons from their failure 12 months earlier.
In 2013 the Confederations Cup was played in Brazil. The hosts, managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari and powered by Neymar, won the competition after beating Spain 3-0 in the final. It appeared the stage was set for the World Cup to return to Brazil in 2014.
The Selecao made light work of their group and dispatched Chile in the last-16.
Neymar was the star and carried the weight of the country’s expectations manfully. But he suffered a fractured vertebrae in the quarter-final win over Colombia and was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.
What occurred in the semi-final was virtually believable. Without their talisman, Brazil crumbled spectacularly. They were brutally beaten 7-1 by eventual champions Germany. It was a scoreline that shocked world football and one that Brazil took a long time to recover from.