A good amount of fun at this time of the World Cup is accessing one of the simulators available on the internet (I used the one from Folha, easy and intuitive) to decide the future of each selection.
Who falls right away, who advances to the knockout stages, who makes it to the final, who is the champion.
I did the route and one side of the group led Brazil to the decisive game, at the Lusail stadium, which is located in the Qatari city of the same name.
On my selection path, which ends on December 18 (a Sunday), Tite’s team will only face world champions from the round of 16 onwards.
I considered that Brazil will end the first phase at the top of Group G, followed by Serbia.
The first cross will be against the runners-up in Group H. In my opinion, Uruguay (champion in the 1930 and 1950 World Cups), who will finish behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
And Brazil passes (the Maracanazo is already well behind, no one remembers this sad tragedy anymore).
In the quarterfinals, there will be none other than Germany (champion in 1954, 1974, 1990 –before the country’s reunification– and 2014), who will win Group E and eliminate, in my simulation, Croatia in the round of 16.
And Brazil passes (burying the disgrace of the 7-1, this is a tragedy that still pulsates).
In the semifinal, the rival will be Argentina (champion in 1978 and 1986), with Messi, the seven times best player in the world, ahead. My guesses point out that the Argentines win Group C and knock out Denmark and Holland in the knockout games.
And Brazil, Neymar even predicted, passes (paying back last year’s defeat, 1-0 at Maracanã, in the Copa America final).
In the final… France (owner of the FIFA Cup in 1998 and 2018).
The current world champion. The team that has the fearsome Mbappé in attack (even more dangerous with Benzema’s cut, as he became the protagonist and the team gives all the balls to him).
The team that overcame Brazil in the final of the 1998 Cup (with a resounding 3-0) and eliminated it in the quarterfinals of the 1986 Cup (ah, Zico!, why did you miss that penalty?) and the 2006 Cup (ah, Roberto Carlos!, what a time to fix the socks).
The Blues, I simulated, will have conquered Group D and overcome Poland (eighth), England (quarter) and Spain (semi).
And Brazil, playing as usual, with engaging, beautiful and objective football (the one who plays like never before is Mexico, and ends up losing), wins.
“It’s hexa!, it’s hexa!, it’s hexa!”, the narrator Galvão Bueno will celebrate with the rest of his voice, this time without Pelé by his side.
It would be a great story, backed by a great campaign, in addition to a great hit by this journalist-blogger, who will forever be called “The Prophetic”.
And it would also be a hell of a writing break. Well, this journalist-blogger never gets his guesses right, however plausible and logical they may be.
The chance of giving Brazil, if it depends on my history (I thought, for example, that I would give Brazil in 2018), is equal to that of Saudi Arabia and Canada.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
