In the 1994 World Cup, Brazil won the championship. In the 1998 World Cup, Brazil was the defending champion, and the team still had Ronaldo at his peak, but in the end they lost to the French team led by Zidane in the final. In the 2002 World Cup, Brazil won the championship. There was Ronaldo in the 2006 World Cup team, but he was eliminated by Zidane's France team in the knockout round.
Ronaldo and the Brazilian team, why can't they overcome the hurdle of Zidane and the French team? In fact, before the main game of the 1998 World Cup, Romario, one of the biggest contributors to the World Cup preliminaries, was not included in the final national team roster. And he was also one of the important contributors to Brazil's championship in 1994. In addition, Platini once hinted in interviews a few years ago that the French team artificially avoided strong teams such as Brazil from the beginning of the group draw.
In the final, Ronaldo's sudden slump is still a mystery. Before the final, Ronaldo suddenly foamed at the mouth and convulsed, causing the entire final to sleepwalk. The Brazilian team lost precisely in the defense. They could not prevent the opponent's cross. This shortcoming was seized by France and they took advantage of two corner kicks. Zidane scored twice with a header, defeating the Brazilian team. However, France's midfield is too strong. The combination of Deschamps, Zidane, and Petit firmly controlled the ball in the midfield. In fact, in this World Cup, Zidane's previous performance cannot be said to be very good, but the genes and luck in the finals are really on Zidane's side.
In the end, the French team won the World Cup, and after the World Cup, France assisted Brazil with tens of billions. Sports are undoubtedly charming, but they are not always so pure. Whether it is the political manipulation of the World Cup or the frequent scandals, pure sports are shamed, but after all, they cannot stop people's love for sports.
Brazil made a comeback in 2002 and finally won the championship. However, in 2006, the Brazilian team, as the defending champion, formed the "Magic Quartet". The Magic Quartet looks extremely luxurious, but in fact the locations overlap. Kaka and Ronaldinho are both the best candidates for the attacking midfielder, but the Brazilian team has acquired two core players. Ade and Ronaldo are both centers who need physicality, technique, and speed, but the ball rights are consumed. Cafu is 36 years old and Carlos is 33 years old. They are both well-known, but their strength has not broken through.
Furthermore, after the technique of flying with two wings became famous in the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, it is no longer a secret weapon and has been thoroughly studied by others. Junior Juninho in the midfield is the best in the world in free kicks, but he can't defend well. The offense is not as sharp as Ronaldinho and Kaká. Except for free kicks, he is a completely useless player.
Zero Roberto is known as a balance of offense and defense, but he is only in the Brazilian team wherever he goes. There is only one Gilberto who does the dirty work down-to-earth, but there is still a gap compared with Vieira and Makelele. In this case, Brazil simply cannot beat France. Against France, only Ronaldo excelled, and it was clear that Ronaldo wanted to win very much. The slow-moving Zidane passed the entire Brazilian midfield and the entire French team was in surprisingly good condition.
There have been very few peak matchups in the World Cup in the past two decades, and the playing styles are somewhat homogeneous. Many countries have been mediocre and mediocre. In fact, France is still very powerful. It can be seen from the World Cup record in the past 20 years that France is not weak. Although it failed to qualify for the World Cup group in 2002 and 2010, it also won the championship in 1998 and 2008, the runner-up in 2006, and once won the 14th World Cup. Top 8 of the year.