Brazil is No Longer the Barefoot Romance of Copacabana. Messi is King, Infantino Should Not Be Re-elected

He's a legend of Slovak sports journalism. His voice is unmistakable; many remember him from the era when Brazil's enchanting football ruled the world.

Those days are long gone, a topic veteran commentator and presenter Miroslav Michalech discusses in an interview for ŠPORT.sk.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, a stage where the stakes are truly high, we spoke with him about other significant issues resonating with the ongoing global tournament.

Let's start with Brazil, whose wait for a title will extend beyond 2002. For the first time since 1990, they exited the tournament in the Round of 16. What's your take on the Canarinho's performance?

“I'm not overly surprised that Brazil didn't make it to the final stages. They, of course, advanced from the group stage, which was a given, but their elimination by Norway was, in a way, inevitable.

Not just Brazil, but also Portugal, for instance, cling to their icons. In Portugal, it's Cristiano Ronaldo; in Brazil, it's Neymar. And then there's the experienced coach Carlo Ancelotti, who, in my opinion, made a mistake.

He wanted to heed the nation's opinion and called up Neymar, even though he had been injured for a long time, lacked match practice, and at his age, that's even more crucial. So, he traveled to the championship unprepared. He came on in the match against Scotland and, in the decisive game against Norway, entered the field in the 67th minute with the score at 0-0. With all due respect to Ancelotti, Neymar couldn't change the course of history.

He entered the game very poorly, immediately provoking a skirmish, almost a brawl. The fact that he scored from a penalty is fine, but by then, the Brazilians were already down 0-2, and it was clear they were likely out of the tournament. So, it was just a statistic.

I believe Ancelotti, when he sent him onto the pitch, sensed they couldn't break through the tenacious Vikings, and it was as if he thought, 'I'll send your icon Neymar onto the field then...' It was an alibi move, even though he had far better, more effective players. And so, the punishment inevitably came. Haaland erupted, scored two goals, and Brazil was eliminated.

Overall, it reflects the long-term lagging of Brazilian and, indeed, Latin American football behind European football. Quality, data analysis, sports science, and medical science have all migrated to wealthy European clubs, where Brazilians and other Latin American players do play, but this doesn't transfer to their national teams. I expected them not to make a significant impact, and that's what happened.”

For years, we associated Brazil with 'joga bonito,' technical finesse, and acrobatics. The current reality is completely different. In the Round of 16 against Norway, Brazil did create chances, but the Scandinavians had 66% possession and clearly controlled the game. Why is today's Brazil so different?

“It stems, in a sense, from a lack of discipline. Their biggest star, besides Neymar, who is now a faded star, long past his prime, is Vinícius Júnior. He's coming off a disappointing season with Real Madrid, where the 'White Ballet' struggled immensely, even if Vinícius was probably their best player, he couldn't influence everything alone. He's quite a footballing egomaniac, and it didn't quite gel with the team.

Again, Brazil opted for a quality, experienced, and seasoned coach, but he was there for too short a time to influence certain processes. The romanticized days of barefoot boys on Copacabana, scouted by coaches for their teams and then scoring goals for the national team, are long gone.

After Pelé, I'm thinking of a whole host of footballers like Romário, Bebeto, before them Socrates, later Rivaldo, and so on. This is probably a thing of the past, and Brazilian clubs won't be churning out such stars overnight because they are more or less insolvent. We saw at last year's Club World Cup that they were outmatched by the gigantic European clubs.

The quality is now on the European side. We also saw Argentina's performance, who struggled significantly against Egypt, and if they had been eliminated, it would have been a total fiasco for Latin American football. They need to reflect on how to do things better. They will probably have to invest more in youth development, training centers, and infrastructure, areas where I believe they are significantly lagging.”

The 2026 World Cup quarter-finals will feature a strong European presence, although several powerhouses have already been eliminated. Germany, the Netherlands, and Croatia bowed out in the Round of 16. Portugal joined them in the Round of 16. Were you surprised by the exit of any of these countries?

“I was surprised that the Germans were eliminated, because it was quite a foolish way to go out. I didn't tip them to reach the final, but they certainly could have stayed in the tournament longer.

The Portuguese made the same mistake as the Brazilians. They relied on Cristiano Ronaldo, and it didn't pay off. As for CR7, he deserves immense respect. He's done an amazing job, influencing football in the best possible way for two decades. He broke countless records, left many emotional impressions, and made the game more beautiful. Millions of young boys worldwide look up to him and want to emulate him, which is wonderful.

But he's past his prime, and has been for some time. I'm not saying he shouldn't be in the national team, but he shouldn't play such a dominant role that the team's play is adapted to an individual who, while once a football king, hasn't been for a long time. His contribution to the collective is minimal; experts calculated that in the match against Spain, he didn't make a single pass to a teammate. So, what was he doing there? Such excellent players as Portugal has cannot play for an individual who is past his prime. This is what cost them.

Even with these teams exiting, Europe still has plenty of strong representatives. In the current eight quarter-finalists, six are European. Plus, Morocco as an African representative, which is no longer a surprise, as they finished fourth with practically the same team in the previous championship. The honor of Latin America, or indeed all of America from north to south, is now held solely by Argentina.”

You mentioned Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. We should also add Luka Modrić and, of course, Lionel Messi, although he's still in the tournament despite his team's near-elimination. Is a great era of football coming to an end?

“You could say that. Or rather, the era of these personalities is ending. Of course, Luka Modrić also deserves a mention. He's also a brilliant footballer. I had tipped Croatia to go further, and I'm a bit sad they're out, but there are probably some personal limitations there too. They weren't set up like Roberto Martínez built the Portuguese team; Modrić was just one cog in the whole machine.

Croatia is a small country in terms of population, even compared to us. Yet, they were third at the 1998 World Cup in France, where I also commentated on their third-place match. In 2018, the Croats played in the final against France in Moscow, and in the last championship, they were third again. It's admirable what they achieved in Luka Modrić's era, but it's probably not an endless well, and you can't endlessly produce such successes.

To jump ahead a bit, but when I spoke about Latin America lagging, Central Europe and the Balkans are also significantly behind. If you look at it, the Poles didn't make it to the championship, neither did we, nor the Hungarians. The Czechs did, but showed nothing. The Austrians a bit more, but it's still weak.

Slovenia achieved nothing, Croatia was there, but it seems their well of success is drying up. Across the Balkans, nobody else achieved anything either. Okay, Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced from the group stage, but that was a miracle. Even Turkey, which has a good generation of young and talented players, didn't get out of their group, which quite unpleasantly surprised me.

This region of Europe is absolutely lagging, and it's all, as I said, about infrastructure. Wealthy Western European clubs are building academies directly in Africa, in cities there. They gather players from various corners, keep the best ones, and develop them into future stars who then win titles, play in the Champions League, etc. Because of this, Western European countries absolutely dominate, and unless it's Argentina again, one of them will likely become world champions.”

Let's turn to Argentina, mentioned several times. What do you make of the reigning world champions' performance? So far, it's been far from a smooth ride.

“It's not, but the tournament is long. In the past, people used to say about the Germans – it's that famous quote from former English international Gary Lineker – that football is a game of eleven against eleven, and in the end, the Germans always win. Yes, back then they achieved success because they were tenacious, determined, and had quality players.

Now, teams that reach the final stages will play one more match than in previous championships. This format is extremely demanding, also considering travel, climate, and time zones.

The Argentinians started from the bottom and are gradually improving. At least, that's how I feel; they haven't shown their maximum yet. Or maybe not, maybe their maximum was struggling against Egypt. We'll see what happens next. In the quarter-finals, they'll face the Swiss, which I don't think is a team they can't overcome. But as I said, the tournament is long, and anything can happen.”

Is Lionel Messi the greatest footballer of all time?

“Probably. I'm of a certain age, and the romanticized times with Pelé as the king of football are behind me. Even when Maradona came along and they were compared, I maintained that Pelé was more for me. But there's no need to compare them anymore, or rather, they should be separated.

Just as there were the Ice Age, the Bronze Age, and various other epochs, in football there was the Pelé era and the Maradona era. Now, perhaps Argentinians will say it's the Messi era, but that would be a bit short-sighted, because Ronaldo also left an enormous mark.

I mean Cristiano Ronaldo. And of course, before him, the Brazilian Ronaldo. Also Ronaldinho, the perpetually smiling boy, which was excellent for football that such a player existed. Or perhaps Beckham, who wasn't the best, but he was a gentleman in boots. These players did an enormous amount for football and its popularization in the developing world.

After the current stars, others are emerging. There's Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland is coming, Vinícius Júnior wants to be there, as does Lamine Yamal. It's great for football that Messi will likely leave as a king, and others are already prepared.”

For many, Mbappé's France is the biggest favorite, for others, Spain with Yamal. How do you see it?

“For me too, France has been the biggest favorite from the start. Not just because I've been more or less a Francophile since childhood and loved their history and culture, but they also played good football. When I commentated on public television, the team around Zinedine Zidane won the World Cup title at home. And two years later, they were European champions, when it was first played in two countries – the Netherlands and Belgium.

During the times I commentated live broadcasts, the French played excellently and had a great team around the aforementioned Zidane, captain Didier Deschamps, and other players. So, I'm rooting for them now too.

Again, they are excellently assembled. There's a lethal attacking force – though I dislike using such terms – Mbappé, Dembélé, Barcola, Olise, or even Doué; the coach can vary it as he pleases. The French have a balanced squad in every position and have clearly shown so far that they are the best-prepared team and the biggest favorites.

The Spanish too, but Lamine Yamal has disappointed me a little; he hasn't really been in this tournament yet. He's not scoring goals, which frustrates him, and while it worked for him at Barcelona, it's not quite happening now. He can only improve his performances, and that would further increase Spain's strength. Merino, however, showed that they also have players who can come off the bench, score a goal, and secure their progression.

If France advances past Morocco and Spain past Belgium, then the semi-final pairing of France – Spain will be incredibly strong. And I expect whoever wins that will also win the entire championship.

Considering the other side of the bracket, Norway – England could deliver an incredibly spectacular quarter-final clash. Kane versus Haaland, English knights against Norwegian Vikings, we can call it anything. And the winner could be either of them.

Argentina should handle Switzerland, and overall, on this side, it seems more in their favor. Argentina – France would be a repeat of the final from four years ago, which would be interesting.”

Can Harry Kane lead England to a World Cup title after a long 60 years?

“When I put all the factors together – more as a fan, not positioning myself as an expert or specialist, but I've followed football my whole life and been to all sorts of stadiums around the world, both as a commentator and a spectator – I don't think so.

Although I wouldn't mind if they reached the trophy, why not? It would be a powerful moment. It's being played on the American continent, in the USA they love Hollywood stories, as well as great theatrical pieces on Broadway in New York. It would be nice, but I think it's more likely not to happen.”

The World Cup is being played in amazing stadiums, the overall scenes full of spectators are incredible. How do you rate the championship, which has returned to the USA after 32 years, to Mexico after four decades, and Canada is hosting it for the first time?

“In 1994, I was also a participant in the championship, as I commentated from there. Also from MetLife Stadium in New York, where the final will now be played. As well as in Silicon Valley near San Francisco and finally from Pasadena and the Rose Bowl stadium in northern Los Angeles, which hosted the Brazil – Italy final.

The American nation at that time knew little about European football, which in their understanding is called 'soccer.' They were quite surprised what kind of tournament was being played there. Football was just making its way and gaining popularity. It was mostly an academic sport, played in high schools and universities. And what was interesting, up to a certain age, girls and boys played it together, which was nonsense in Europe. They brought it first, and then we adopted it here too.

Back then, it was also played in huge stadiums used for American football. Today, years later, they are modernized. Like the one in Foxborough, Boston. I don't recognize it compared to what I experienced.

These are amazing and modern venues. Everywhere is packed, it's colorful, listening to the anthems and watching the broadcasts is something special. I'm thrilled, this will definitely be the best championship in World Cup history. Despite Trump messing it up in a pathetic way. But politicians are like that...”

That leads to the final question. How do you view the fact that US President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to appeal for the cancellation of the penalty for American striker Folarin Balogun? He was supposed to have an automatic suspension in the Round of 16 against Belgium after being sent off in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but everything turned out differently in the end.

“Essentially, Trump isn't to blame; he'll remain Trump... I don't want to politicize too much; I'll leave that to others, to political scientists. He simply tried something, and Infantino clicked his heels and bowed his head. Gianni Infantino is to blame. Let's hope it counts against him in the next FIFA presidential elections and he's not re-elected.”