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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 MAY 2014 45 Sport Download the MaltaToday App now WORLD CUP SPECIAL 'I'm rooting for a Brazil-Germany final at Maracana' – Ronaldo Pele, a king amid honours and criticism RONALDO NAZARIO DA LIMA WHEN one talks about a World Cup, it is difficult to draft lists of the best or the greatest. It is an event that attracts the attention of the whole planet. If we say that there are 200 million coaches in Brazil – that is, every- one in the country thinks they are a football expert – just imagine how many coaches there must be around the world at the time of a World Cup, each with their own opinion! My five candidates to be the best player of the tournament are, in alphabetical order, Cristiano Ron- aldo, Franck Ribery, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Thomas Müller. The first three were the top fin- ishers in the race for the Ballon d'Or and need no further explana- tion. Neymar is not yet part of that list, but he has everything it takes to get there soon. Moving to Europe has been good for him, even in a tough season at Barcelona. And no one should forget what he did at the Confederations Cup last year. And Müller is one of the great names in a great Germany side. Be- sides being an excellent player, he was the top goalscorer in a World Cup at age 21 without being a cen- tre-forward. That is something not everyone can manage. I would like to recommend five games to watch during the World Cup, even though it is a very dif- ficult choice because there are lots of potentially fantastic matches. The draw made some teams hap- py, and others not quite. However, it is the fans who are the real win- ners. Salvador's Arena Fonte Nova is set to host a replay of the 2010 World Cup final, Spain-Nether- lands, as well as a clash between Cristiano Ronaldo and German players at Bayern Munich in Portu- gal-Germany. England-Italy in Manaus is also one of those games that will make the world stop in front of the TV, even more so since it is being played at a beautiful stadium that has been built in a city which is in the middle of the Amazon rainfor- est. For me, and for Brazilian fans in general, the opening game is also set to be special. As a member of the organising committee, I have closely followed all the work the country has done to host the World Cup. So when Brazil and Croatia come onto the pitch in the Sao Paulo neighbourhood of Itaquera for the first World Cup match held in Brazil in 64 years, it will be re- ally exciting. And the fifth game in the list? The final, of course. I have said it before, and I am saying it again: I am rooting to see Brazil and Ger- many at Maracana on July 13. With the Brazilian national team even- tually winning that match in Rio de Janeiro, of course! DPA Ronaldo Nazario da Lima. Photo by Sven Simon DIANA RENEE THERE may be many kings around the world, but there is only one called 'O Rei'. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, is a living leg- end for anyone who loves football, beyond all the controversies he has unleashed throughout his life with his political comments and even his sports-related remarks. "When he keeps quiet, Pele is a poet," another Brazilian football icon, the retired striker Romario, once said. Romario's by-now-famous com- ment shows that, at least in his own country, 'O Rei' is not an untouch- able myth, for all his 1,283 goals and the five global titles he won in his career: three World Cups with Bra- zil and two Intercontinental Cups with his club, Santos. His career is indisputable. Aged 73, almost four decades after he re- tired, he continues to be honoured with tributes, with the honorary FIFA Ballon d'Or that he got in Jan- uary among the most recent. "This allows me to complete my trophy mantlepiece," Pele said when he received the award. The Ballon d'Or is set to join the 2,300 pieces at the new Pele Muse- um, which has been built in Santos with the restoration of a 19th cen- tury building in the city's historic centre. Architect Ney Caldato, in charge of the museum project, confessed his surprise over how popular Pele remains, even though his career as a footballer took place at a time when the marketing structure that is vital for today's stars simply did not exist. "When he goes out onto the street, it is something crazy: scores of peo- ple stalk him... And that happens although he is no longer an active player like Messi or Cristiano Ron- aldo. He has a media reach that sur- prises everyone," Caldato told dpa. However, the Brazilian icon is not immune to criticism, mainly over the political positions he has held over the course of his life. "Pele was one of only a few Brazil- ian citizens who could have rebelled even against the dictatorship, and he never did," Brazilian sports com- mentator Juca Kfouri told dpa. Indeed, at the same time as foot- ballers like Socrates became critics of the 1964-85 dictatorship, Pele stood up for the lack of direct elec- tions during the military regime, arguing that "the people don't know how to vote". More recently, Pele also caused a stir when he opposed the crowded protests that broke out in Brazil in June 2013, during the Confedera- tions Cup, and called upon fans to "forget all that confusion on the streets" and support the national team. A few days later, after having reaped abundant criticism, he changed his stance: "I am in favour of the movement, I have always been in favour of the people. The only thing I asked was that people did not boo the national team." However, in January, he slammed the protests again. "I am honestly very worried about all those protests. We have won- derful events (...) that could fill our country with tourists and generate benefits, and Brazilians themselves are spoiling that party," he said. In April, just two months ahead of the World Cup, the three-time world champion raised eyebrows when he commented on the seven worker deaths in stadium construc- tion for the event. Pele defined as something "nor- mal" the fate of a 23-year-old who fell eight metres to his death as he installed temporary stands in Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians stadium, which is set to host the World Cup opening game. "That's life," he said. "It was an ac- cident, nothing scary." Pele was speaking precisely in Sao Paulo, in a striking setting: a press conference to launch a collection of diamonds made from carbon taken from his hair. Pele is also not 'O Rei' when it comes to making football predic- tions. Over the past two decades, he has accumulated mistaken predic- tions about World Cups. In 1994, for example, he said Co- lombia – who were eliminated in the group round – were the favour- ites to win the World Cup in the United States. In 2002, he predicted a final be- tween Argentina and France and said Brazil would not make it past the first round in South Korea- Japan. Argentina and France were both eliminated in the first round, while the "verdeamarela" won its fifth World Cup title. Following such mistakes, Pele is now trying to be more cautious in his predictions about the Brazil 2014 World Cup. When reporters insisted, he said that he hopes Brazil will make it to the final and mentioned Spain and Germany as their main rivals. This prompted an ironic reaction from Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. "If Pele said Germany are favour- ites, that increases my confidence in Brazil, because when Pele says something it doesn't happen," Sco- lari said. DPA Aged 73, almost four decades after he retired, Pele continues to be honoured with tributes, with the honorary FIFA Ballon d'Or that he got in January among the most recent. Photo by: Sportphoto