Roberto Carlos has issued a stern warning to Brazil’s eternal rivals, Argentina. The legendary full-back spoke about Brazil’s chances in the upcoming Copa América 2024 in the USA, where Lionel Messi will defend his title.
Brazil’s young squad has raised some eyebrows with their last few results in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Fans have questioned the quality and desire of the former Copa winners ahead of the 2024 edition. Roberto Carlos has boldly dismissed those questions by stating: “Never underestimate the Brazilian national team, I speak from experience.”
The former World Champion spoke to Mirror Sport in Lisbon at a promotional event for his social media platform, Striver. He added: “We’ve got a new manager now and we just need to give him some time to work. We have great players and a good manager, I’m sure Copa America will be competitive and very exciting.”
Brazil’s national team has been in a transitional phase since the 2022 World Cup. They were knocked out by Croatia in the quarterfinals. The exit saw Tite’s six-year reign as the manager of Brazil coming to an end. The head coach position was taken over by Ramon Menezes as a caretaker, after which Fernando Diniz took over on an interim basis.
ROBERTO CARLOS Y GILBERTO SILVA LANZAN RED SOCIAL “STRIVER” LIBRE DE ACOSO EN EL FÚTBOL
Roberto Carlos, leyenda del #RealMadrid, y Gilberto Silva, exjugador del #Arsenal, presentaron en la feria tecnológica Web Summit de Lisboa su red social llamada “Striver”. Esta plataforma,… pic.twitter.com/q8efnlQnFu
— El Dato Noticias Morelos (@eldatomx) November 15, 2023
Early reports point at Carlo Ancelotti to take over Brazil before the Copa América. He is currently in the final season of his current contract with Real Madrid. The instability within the dugout and the ACL injury to Neymar Jr. have hindered the 2026 World Cup qualifiers of the five-time World Champions.
In the South American qualification, Brazil sits sixth in the table, with three losses and only two wins in six matches. They have lost their last three matches in the qualifiers and are already eight points behind World Champions, Argentina.
Argentina and Brazil can meet in the final of the Copa America 2024
The group stage of Copa América 2024 is officially set. 16 teams will fight it out for the title in the USA. The heavyweights, Argentina and Brazil are placed in Group A and Group D respectively, with Group D being labeled as the Group of Death.
Group A will see a reunion of Argentina and Chile in a repeat of the 2015 and 2016 finals. Either one of Canada or Trinidad and Tobago will join these sides after the playoffs. Peru completes the group being the fourth team. Group D on the other hand will see Brazil pair up with Colombia, Paraguay & Jamaica. Apart from Jamaica, all three teams are slated to make it into the quarterfinals.
🚨🏆 Official Copa América 2024 groups.
Argentina and Brazil can only face each other in the final, as part of potential combinations. pic.twitter.com/eZGUC7w0sS
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 8, 2023
Argentina and Brazil being drawn in Group A and Group D ensure that the heavyweights can only clash in the final of the tournament. If both teams make it to the final, similar fireworks can be expected, on and off the field, when these two sides meet in November at Maracanã, Brazil for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Argentina walked away with a 1-0 victory on that occasion. Brazil will be looking for revenge this time around in the USA.
