- Title: BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - World soccer stars look ahead to the World Cup draw
- Date: 5th December 2013
- Summary: COSTA DO SAUIPE, BAHIA, BRAZIL (DECEMBER 5, 2013) (REUTERS) RONALDO, FORMER PLAYER FROM BRAZIL, GREETING LOTHAR MATTHAUS AND OTHERS ZINEDINE ZIDANE, FORMER SOCCER PLAYER FROM FRANCE, GREETING RONALDO AND BRAZILIAN PLAYERS FERNANDO HIERRO, FORMER SOCCER PLAYER FROM SPAIN, ARRIVING AND GREETING BRAZILIANS GENERATIONS OF FOOTBALL STARS ON THE STAGE NEWS CONFERENCE WITH PLAYERS, VARIOUS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FERNANDO HIERRO, FORMER SOCCER PLAYER FROM SPAIN, SAYING: "I obviously think Spain always had great players, but really this generation of the last five or six years is the best, the Champions of Europe and the World is possibly the best generation in the history of Spanish football, that is clear. I think this is an opportunity like never before, my generation had their chances at certain times, but didn't achieve their heights, and this team with players of such a winning mentality, and being in clubs at such a high level with this winning mentality, I think we are going into the World Cup with the best conditions." NEWS CONFERENCE ZIDANE AND MATTHAU LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (German) LOTHAR MATTHAUS, FORMER SOCCER PLAYER FROM GERMANY AND CURRENT MANAGER, SAYING: "Well of course I want Germany to win a title after 24 years. They have the necessary quality and demonstrated in recent tournaments, and in the qualifications they went through the rounds in a very impressive way, but in a World Cup, lots of factors come into play. The German team is perfectly prepared, and all the fine tuning is being done, but there are lots of surprises and every team wants to win, especially against the so-called favourites but if team plays at same level they have shown they can, then the team has to be counted amongst the top favourites to win." PLAYERS SEEN THROUGH VIEWFINDER NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) ZINEDINE ZIDANE, FORMER SOCCER PLAYER FROM FRANCE, SAYING: "As far as the draw is concerned there is never a good result of a draw. What I would want for the French is that they enter into a difficult group from the beginning, so that they don't have to tell themselves they are going to play small teams, you have to think we are struggling to get out of the group from the beginning. The French team has to play against the best, especially to go as far as possible in this World Cup. So what would be best is to have a difficult draw and start from the very beginning with the right mind set." FINAL DRAW LOGO NEWS CONFERENCE WITH PLAYERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) GEOFF HURST, FORMER SOCCER PLAYER FROM ENGLAND, SAYING: "I think there has to be some realism on the European teams, because in South America there have been six World Cups and two were Uruguay and two were won by Argentina and two were won by Brazil, and I think Brazil for me, a home country with a fantastic record, have to be looked at as favourites, and anybody that has to look to succeed in a World Cup, will probably have to beat Brazil to have to do it, because they are a formidable opposition on their own grounds. But I think the luck of the draw itself, but also to a certain extent the travelling you have to do, to answer the second part of that question, each World Cup venue, or host country, has its own interesting aspects, different culture, certainly for a lot of the teams the travel they have to do, Brazil is such a vast country." NEWS CONFERENCE ZIDANE AND MATTHAUS NEWS CONFERENCE WITH PLAYERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MARIO KEMPES, FORMER SOCCER PLAYER FROM ARGENTINA, SAYING: "The chances that Argentina has through Messi are very good, I think it is a great combination, that we have a great coach and some great players. Not just Messi, but players that can play at top world level... But the main thing is they are a team and this player, Messi is outstanding, but they all surround him and contribute." PLAYERS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
- Embargoed: 20th December 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Brazil
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA4XBDE7XNOZJRMAZM0MRWCD4E7
- Story Text: An unprecedented level of World Cup talent shared one stage on Thursday (December 5) in Brazil when players representing former world champions joined to discuss their expectations for the 2014 World Cup and Friday's (December 6) upcoming draw to determine the eight first-round groups.
Soccer legends such as Brazil's Ronaldo, France's Zinedine Zidane, and Germany's Lothar Matthaus took time to draw from their wealth of experience and success.
Also invited was former Spanish defender Fernando Hierro, who was confident about world champion Spain's chances to defend its 2010 World Cup victory.
"I obviously think Spain always had great players, but really this generation of the last five or six years is the best, the Champions of Europe and the World is possibly the best generation in the history of Spanish football, that is clear. I think this is an opportunity like never before, my generation had their chances at certain times, but didn't achieve their heights, and this team with players of such a winning mentality, and being in clubs at such a high level with this winning mentality, I think we are going into the World Cup with the best conditions," Hierro said.
Matthaus, who captained West Germany when they won the 1990 World Cup, reckoned that his country's team has all the necessary tools to secure its first world championship in over two decades.
"Well of course I want Germany to win a title after 24 years. They have the necessary quality and demonstrated in recent tournaments, and in the qualifications they went through the rounds in a very impressive way, but in a World Cup, lots of factors come into play. The German team is perfectly prepared, and all the fine tuning is being done, but there are lots of surprises and every team wants to win, especially against the so-called favorites but if team plays at same level they have shown they can, then the team has to be counted amongst the top favorites to win," Matthaus said.
Part of the French side which captured World Cup victory against Brazil in 1998, Zidane said that the key to a successful World Cup campaign is to start off against tougher opponents rather than easier ones.
"As far as the draw is concerned there is never a good result of a draw. What I would want for the French is that they enter into a difficult group from the beginning, so that they don't have to tell themselves they are going to play small teams, you have to think we are struggling to get out of the group from the beginning. The French team has to play against the best, especially to go as far as possible in this World Cup. So what would be best is to have a difficult draw and start from the very beginning with the right mind set," Zidane said.
The Frenchmen, considered one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game, managed to score twice when France beat Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 World Cup final.
The only man to score a hat-trick in a final, England's Geoff Hurst said that host country Brazil - who also leads all countries with five titles - has to be considered the favorites.
"I think there has to be some realism on the European teams, because in South America there have been six World Cups and two were Uruguay and two were won by Argentina and two were won by Brazil, and I think Brazil for me, a home country with a fantastic record, have to be looked at as favorites, and anybody that has to look to succeed in a World Cup, will probably have to beat Brazil to have to do it, because they are a formidable opposition on their own grounds. But I think the luck of the draw itself, but also to a certain extent the traveling you have to do, to answer the second part of that question, each World Cup venue, or host country, has its own interesting aspects, different culture, certainly for a lot of the teams the travel they have to do, Brazil is such a vast country," Hurst said.
Hurst led England to its only World Cup victory in 1966.
Argentine Mario Kempes, who no longer has the mustache he sported in the 1978 World Cup, said that Lionel Messi gives his country's team a good chance to win it all.
"The chances that Argentina has through Messi are very good, I think it is a great combination, that we have a great coach and some great players. Not just Messi, but players that can play at top world level... But the main thing is they are a team and this player, Messi is outstanding, but they all surround him and contribute," Kempes said.
Kempes scored twice when Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 in the 1978 final.
In total, eight former players representing the eight World Cup-winning countries participated in Thursday's panel at a press event in Brazil. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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