G-Silva: So many years have passed, now is the time to return to Brazil in the World Cup

Hupu October 7th: Gilberto Silva, born in 1976, was once one of two fantasy teams: one was the Brazilian team that won the World Cup in 2002, with superstars such as Ronaldo, Carlos, and Ronaldinho; the other team was the "invincible" Arsenal, they were the first team to win the Premier League championship with an unbeaten record. Now as the image ambassador of Oddspedia, he has been interviewed by Marca, and the following is the first half of the interview.

The 26 World Cup is coming, but Brazil does not seem to be among the favorites to win the championship...is it?

We have a good coach, which of course gives us hope and also increases everyone's expectations. However, you can't just rely on the coach because all he can do is find the best player combination. What’s left depends on the players, on how they deal with everything, how they take responsibility, and how they desire to win on themselves. I think players play a key part in this role, need to take responsibility, work hard and make every day of training feel like a final. Every daily training game is a final, and so is the game.

You represent the previous generation of Brazilian players who were able to win the World Cup... So long has passed, are you proud or regretful?

I am proud of what we achieved in that event, to win the championship and bring the trophy home. But after so long we start thinking about when it will happen again. Looking back, it makes me sad to think of the fact that we could have done better but failed in the competitions we have played. As a fan, even before I even entered the national team, I remember from 1970 to 1994, for example, that was 24 years. Now 23 years have passed, and next year will be 24 years, and maybe it's time for them to bring the championship home again.

Brazil is not in its best form...

We have to continue to believe that we can do it, it will not be easy, it will be difficult, because in my opinion there are other teams playing better football than Brazil and have been more stable than us in recent years. But opportunities always exist, and that opportunity is next year.

What can Ancelotti do as a coach in just one season? Do you think this is the right choice?

Well, it's too early to evaluate it now. He doesn't have much time yet, and we don't have much time to evaluate his work. Basically, from my observation, he was just following the philosophy of other coaches. He hasn't made a radical change until he knows exactly which players he has available. He made some fine tunings and brought some players to watch how they get along with other players in training camp day after day, and how they behave. Because it is not that difficult to observe how players play football. The hardest thing for any coach is to look at how they get along with others in their daily life, which is one of the aspects that coaches will really consider. He will have time to evaluate and I hope he can find solutions and the best player combination. But beyond that, players must understand the importance of being a member of the national team. What is your responsibility? What is your character?

Is it time to continue to trust Neymar, or should we pass the torch completely to the younger generation?

I think it depends more on Neymar himself, how much he personally wants to contribute to the team. I think it's important that he communicates with Ancelotti in the next few months until the World Cup. I don't know if they've done this, have a conversation and stay close, understand that both sides want to do their best for Brazil, for the team, for the country. This also helps avoid misunderstandings, as this will be very important.

Is the left winger Vinicius Jr. or Rodrigo? In Real Madrid this is not clear

I think it's open, of course Ancelotti knows them very well; they worked with Real Madrid. But I think everyone has to have the determination to win that position. Of course, some players may have a relatively solid position, but they need to keep their good form until the end of the season to ensure they make it to the World Cup roster. Ancelotti knows Vinicius very well, he knows his potential, and what Vinicius needs is to continue to improve and mature. He is still too young. He still has room for improvement in the sport, and I believe he is very eager to do that.