Brazil director: The team always comes before the individual, not Vinicius

Rodrigo Caetano, director of Brazil's national men's football team, was interviewed by AS at the Brazilian team's base camp in New Jersey, United States. He firmly backed Ancelotti's mandate through the 2030 FIFA World Cup, discussed Vinicius, Endrick and Neymar, commented on the Spanish team, and expressed optimism about young rising stars securing the future of the Seleção. Due to its length, the interview was divided into two parts; this is the second part.

Paquetá said that Vinicius has fully unleashed his potential under Ancelotti after enduring fierce criticism for so long, and is now in a completely new state. Where does this change come from?

I understand that the public tends to judge players individually and in isolation. Unfortunately, even though football is a team sport today, public opinion still focuses on individual stars, and we're well aware of that. But as professionals, we place greater value on the collective squad and team. I'm not surprised at all by Vinicius's current breakthrough.

He has scored countless goals for Real Madrid, is a key player for the team, and has scored crucial goals in two Champions League finals, so his quality is beyond question. I've known Vinicius since he was 15 years old at Flamengo's youth academy, where we worked together. He was promoted to the first team at 17, and I happened to be working at Flamengo when Real Madrid's transfer deal for him was finalized, so I have a deep affection for Vinicius.

In my view, his current performance is no different from the talent he showed at 15 years old, and he has already joined the ranks of the world's best players. If anyone still has doubts, this FIFA World Cup will provide the answer; he has the ability to change a match on his own.

Can the current Brazilian team be described as a team dominated by Vinicius?

No. Even though I admire Vinicius greatly and have an excellent personal relationship with him, I would prefer this FIFA World Cup to belong to the entire Brazilian team. I understand that the media must focus on star players for their coverage, but our fundamental internal principle is completely different: on any field, the collective always comes before the individual.

Admittedly, some matches will be decided by a single player, but the champion of an entire tournament always belongs to the team. Ancelotti has expressed this clearly several times during team meetings: we're not here to compete for the tournament's best player, but to become the tournament's best team. We communicated this concept to all the players just days ago. Although Vinicius is undoubtedly a top-tier talent, within the Brazilian national team, team honor always takes precedence over individual glory.

Neymar resumed full training with the team this week. What progress has he made in his recovery and what is his current condition?

Everything is very positive. Neymar's football talent is undeniable, and he is also a likeable person with an exceptionally diligent attitude toward training. He trains hard every day like he's new to football, striving to regain full competitive fitness as quickly as possible. He is very close to his return, and we look forward to his early comeback to the team.

The more high-level players a team has, particularly stars with brilliant achievements like Neymar, the greater the team's chances of winning the championship, and that is exactly the situation we hope to see.

Brazil once prided itself on a continuous supply of left-back talent, but has since failed to produce legendary full-backs like Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Marcelo, or Filipe Luís. However, young full-backs Sousa and Cauã Prates now show promising potential. What are your thoughts on this?

This is closely related to changes in football's global tactical trends. Decades ago, our full-backs had unique technical styles, but we cannot simply judge quality based on technical characteristics from different eras—otherwise, evaluation standards would be considerably skewed. Looking at world football, with few exceptions, most modern full-backs emphasize defensive positioning.

In terms of defensive efficiency alone, our current full-backs' performances are top-tier and impeccable. Of course, Brazilian football has always had a tradition of attacking full-backs, but the current tactical system no longer requires full-backs to frequently push forward; defensive stability is the absolute priority.

Different eras cannot be compared directly. Legends like Cafu and Roberto Carlos achieved glory with a completely offensive approach on the flanks, but football tactics have evolved, and I don't want to compare two generations of players across different eras.

Spain easily defeated Saudi Arabia. How do you evaluate this Spanish national team?

The Spanish team has assembled a large number of very young talented players with exceptional overall strength, making it one of the five main favorites to win this FIFA World Cup.

This team has a young squad structure with a multitude of combative young players and exceptional football talent. The overall competitive landscape of this FIFA World Cup is more balanced than before, and many traditionally weaker teams, previously underestimated, have developed mature and complete team defensive systems, with increasingly sophisticated tactical understanding.

The fundamental reason for this is the globalization trend in football. Many local players from countries with limited football history go abroad to train in Europe's top professional leagues, and the Haitian team participating in this tournament is a very typical example.

Once you face teams with clear tactical ideas and excellent team cohesion, the difficulty increases significantly. We cannot simply rely on a team's apparent squad strength to predict match results, much less assume that stronger teams can easily defeat opponents and win consistently.

Therefore, our entire team must remain calm and composed, and diligently complete the remaining matches one by one. We are about to play our third group match, and the team will continue to adjust its competitive state, steadily improving its overall performance.

Are you looking forward to a Brazil-Spain final?

If you ask my honest preference, I would prefer Brazil's final opponent to be someone else. Reaching the final is already incredibly difficult. Every day, I hold a dream: that by the end of July, the Brazilian team, with convincing victories, reaches the final and takes the field in New Jersey again. The path to the final is thorny for all teams, but it's undeniable that Spain has a strong squad.

When we speak again for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, in your opinion, what will the Brazilian national team's squad-building plan have developed?

I hope that by the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the Brazilian team will participate as the defending champions. Of course, our primary goal is to win this FIFA World Cup, but even if we don't win this time, by 2030, we will have a group of excellent players in their prime.

A large number of young Brazilian players are currently competing in Europe's top leagues or refining their skills in domestic leagues. By 2030, these young players will have accumulated sufficient experience in major tournaments. For example, Vitor Reis, who plays in the Spanish league, has delivered brilliant performances this season.

At this FIFA World Cup, Rodrygo, Militão and Estêvão are all absent due to injuries, but all three are in their ascendant phase. There's also Wesley and Pedro; all these players will reach their career peak by 2030, and I expect them to lead the Brazilian national team at that time.