I have actively followed the Brazilian National Team since the 1998 World Cup in France. Something about those yellow jerseys and their magical style of play impressed me and caused me to become a fan. I was very young back then so there’s only a few things that I vividly remember:

• Ronaldo (the real Ronaldo, Brazil’s famous number 9) became my very first celebrity crush. Although N’SYNC broke out on the scene just a short while after the devastating conclusion of the World Cup and Justin Timberlake became my new celebrity crush, Ronaldo still held holds a special place in my heart.
• Zinedine Zidane was my least favorite player on the planet…up until the 2006 World Cup. I mean who didn’t find that headbutt utterly hilarious, with the exception of the French fans who probably were devastated when their hero was shown the red card. It took me eight years to stop disliking him, but I have yet to forgive him for those two goals he scored in the ’98 Final.
• Fabien Barthez who I so lovingly called “Barfez” (go ahead and make fun but I wasn’t even 10 years old yet!) was enemy number 1 on my list for so rudely blocking my beloved injured Ronaldo’s beautiful shots on goal.
• And finally the captain of Brazil, Dunga. His demeanor terrified me at that young age. Although my mother raved about how gorgeous he was (sorry mom I still don’t see it all these years later) I appreciated how great of a player he was and how he kept control of the team as captain, but he had such an attitude.

That attitude of his is one of the reasons why I resent Dunga as Manager now. It started with the 2010 World Cup and how awful Brazil was. The team was no longer fun to watch. They were boring. That jogo bonito was clearly missing. The passion and the drive that had drawn me toward the Brazilian National Team was lacking. Snubbing Neymar of a spot on the squad was just the icing on top of a lackluster cake. Although Neymar was only 18, his records at Santos spoke wonders about the potential that he had. After all a certain Lionel Messi was granted a spot on Argentina’s National Team for the 2006 World Cup when he was 18. Not to mention that Pelé, the legend of Brazil was only 17 years old when Brazil won the 1958 World Cup. Dunga’s reasoning that Neymar didn’t have enough experience was weak, however I don’t think anyone (even Neymar playing with Brazil) could have been able to stop Spain’s wondrous passing ability that year. I thought Dunga was rightly fired after Brazil’s exit in 2010 and that his time as Manager had thankfully come to an end.

That was not the case though as the Brazilian federation decided to reinstate him after the disastrous 2014 World Cup. Sure the Brazilian team had lacked discipline and there were quite a few questionable choices on the squad, but couldn’t they have found a better manager than Dunga?! (I’ll save my thoughts on that horrendous 7-1 loss for a later blog post when I’m feeling depressed about it again)  It’s Brazil! My brain immediately associates soccer, samba, and Carnival with Brazil. Don’t most of Brazilians live and breathe soccer?! Just take a look at the roster of pretty much any club across Europe and even MLS, and you will likely come across a Brazilian player. So with a country that year after year produces top notch players, I would assume that they can also produce quality Managers. So why Dunga AGAIN?  I will admit that it was pretty cool of Dunga to instate Neymar as Captain. Say what you want about the decision but I’m pretty tired of Thiago Silva. Any Captain who refuses to take a penalty kick in a critical World Cup match loses major points with me. Silva has scored some pretty awesome goals over the years, and I think he would have been able to actually convert his PK unlike that total mess that was Hulk and even Willian’s awful shot.

Besides handing Neymar the captain’s armband, Dunga’s squad and line up choices have been aggravating at best. Why bring back Hulk? WHY? JUST WHY? Sure he scored the winning goal in Saturday’s friendly against Costa Rica and sure I’ve heard he’s pretty decent over at Zenit St. Petersburg, but really his performance at the 2014 World Cup I thought was dismal. Thankfully he wasn’t on the Copa America squad (not that it mattered), but why is he back again just in time for World Cup 2018 Qualifiers?

Why does Dunga consistently look over Lucas Moura? I know he spent a good portion of last season injured but from what I recall he was back in shape for the Copa America. I won’t even begin to discuss how insane of a choice it was for Scolari to have left Lucas out of the World Cup squad. His performance at Paris-St. Germain has shown he is a great player and he is so obviously the partner that Neymar needs! The Brazil squad has been lacking a star player who can help relieve some of the pressure off Neymar. The clear choice to me is Lucas Moura, and I think he deserves a lot more playing time. If he is not included in the World Cup Qualifiers I will be thoroughly pissed off at Dunga.

Since Steven Gerrard left Liverpool in search of sunnier pastures, the only player I can associate with Liverpool nowadays is Philippe Coutinho. Coutinho is an excellent passer, and brings a new dynamic to the game. He is the only Liverpool player on the field I pay attention to when I’m watching a Liverpool match (ever since Suarez left for Barcelona and Stevie G departed for the dear old MLS), because he is entertaining to watch. He brings a certain sparkle and enthusiasm to the field. He deserves a lot more playing time and should be a consistent starter for Brazil, rather than benched as Dunga apparently prefers.

Kaka will always be one of my favorite players of all time. There is nothing wrong that he can do in my mind. I’ll make sure to write a blog post later on about my abundant admiration for the player and man that he is. However, I think it is time to let the younger players get their opportunity to shine and prove themselves. The youngster I most want to see on the field is Rafinha. I think he’s shown wonders of potential over at Barcelona especially with that goal in the UEFA Super Cup, and he may possibly be one of those guys that shines even brighter in yellow. I’m really hoping Dunga includes him in the World Cup Qualifiers and lets him live out to his potential.

If Dunga could stop overlooking these great players, and not BENCH his star player Neymar (even if it is just a friendly, but come on let him play and wow the crowds who have come to pay to watch Neymar score a goal or 4 like that friendly against Japan), then maybe, just maybe Brazil may slowly work its way back into playing jogo bonito and not this boring methodical style that Dunga apparently prefers. But then again I think Brazil can only play that beautiful style of soccer that we all have become accustomed to expect from Brazil without Dunga in charge.

Here’s hoping Neymar as captain can lead Brazil into adding a sixth star onto that famous yellow jersey.