Rio de Janeiro: Football legend Pele has said that he believes Brazil will be crowned World Cup champions for a sixth time in Qatar next month. Brazil earned a berth in international football’s premier event by going undefeated in qualifying and finishing top of the 10-team South American group, six points ahead of second-placed Argentina.
“You may even think that I am too confident, but I feel that we will see Brazil win again,” the 82-year-old said on social media. He accompanied the post with a photo of himself lifting the Jules Rimet trophy in a convertible as it passes the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Brazil, who last won the World Cup in 2002, will begin their campaign against Serbia on November 24 and will also meet Switzerland and Cameroon in Group G, reports Xinhua.
Widely regarded as one of the best footballers of all time, Pele is the only player to win the World Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
In recent years, he battled a series of health issues, including problems related to his spine, hip, knee and kidneys. Last year, he underwent surgery to remove a tumor in his colon, which was followed by chemotherapy.
Meanwhile, Edinson Cavani has been named in Uruguay’s squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar despite concerns about his fitness, the country’s football association said on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Valencia striker has missed the Spanish club’s past two matches after suffering an ankle injury in a 1-0 home defeat to Barcelona on October 29.
Cavani has scored four goals in seven matches since joining Valencia from Manchester United on a free transfer in August.
As expected, Uruguay manager Diego Alonso also included veteran Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur and Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez in his 26-man squad.
The two-time World Cup champions will begin their campaign against South Korea on November 24 before also meeting Portugal and Ghana in Group H.
Uruguay squad:
Goalkeepers: Sergio Rochet, Fernando Muslera, Sebastian Sosa;
Defenders: Diego Godin, Josema Gimenez, Ronald Araujo, Sebastian Coates, Martin Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Matias Vina, Guillermo Varela, Jose Luis Rodriguez;
Midfielders: Manuel Ugarte, Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Matias Vecino, Lucas Torreira, Nico de la Cruz, Giorgian de Arrascaeta;
Forwards: Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Darwin Nunez, Maxi Gomez, Facundo Pellistri, Agustin Canobbio, Facundo Torres.
–IANS