Kaka backs Brazil for World Cup glory, naming Raphinha as star to watch

Five years after retiring from football, Kaka’s timing remains as immaculate as ever.

Just hours before Brazil were confirmed as the new No.1 team in FIFA’s World Rankings, he told Arab News he expects his countrymen will head to Qatar 2022 as favorites to win a record-extending sixth World Cup.

Speaking at the unveiling of the official FIFA World Cup match ball, Al-Rihla, at an event in Qatar Kaka said: “We just finished the qualifying [round], topping the table. It’s been a very good job with Tite, the coach who’s been there since the last World Cup, with a lot of young players coming out and growing at the right moment. This is why in my opinion Brazil will be one of the favorites.”

Sticking with the same coach after the 2018 World Cup and eschewing the cycle of firing and hiring that so often follows every failed tournament has been pivotal in allowing the team to develop over the past few years, Kaka says. Following elimination by Belgium at the quarter-final stage in Russia, Brazil’s 60-year-old coach promptly delivered the 2019 Copa America on home soil.

“Tite is very good with tactics, he understands the players, the way to play,” he said. “And he gave this team an identity. So we can see Brazil playing very well. Another good thing that just happened in the last few games was that Brazil played very well without Neymar. It doesn’t mean that we don’t need him. We do need him. But I think when we take away all this responsibility from him, we also give him more opportunity to shine. So this is why Brazil can make the difference in the World Cup.”

Brazil will not have it their own way, and Kaka, who has a 2002 World Cup medal to his name, sees France, the reigning world champions, and other powers as their