is South American football in decline?

With legendary players (Pelé, Garrincha, Kempes, Maradona, Batistuta, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho) and nine World Cups won, the South American continent has often reminded Europeans that they were not the only holders of football knowledge. But while the Old Continent has shaped a new generation that promises to be brilliant (Mbappé, Haaland, Havertz …), South American football is struggling to identify the next generation of Lionel Messi, Neymar or Edinson Cavani.

This generational hole was felt during the last World Cup. In Russia, for the fifth time in history, no South American team was present in the semi-finals. This was also the case in 2006. In 2018, four teams in the eighth, two in the quarterfinals and that’s it. European nations have cut off the heads of the Southern Hemisphere. Symbol of this decline: Brazil, five-time world champion, which has been disillusioned since its last coronation, in 2002.

“We demystified them”, analysis Elton Mokolo, journalist specializing in football at The Club of 5. “Players from European nations face and beat them on a regular basis in Europe, the mere fact of winning the Copa America is no longer enough to make Brazil feared everywhere. These are teams that will always have respect because they will always evoke something in the history of football but they are less legendary than before “.

Since its 5th title won in the final against Germany (2-0) in 2002, the Seleção has never beaten a European team in a knockout match. Each time, Europe showed him the way out. The report is less bitter without being glorious for Argentina over the same period. Finalists in 2014 after having released three European teams (Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands), Lionel Messi’s teammates stumbled on the fourth, Germany, in the final. “Teams like Brazil or Argentina are more and more standardized, before they had a well-defined label in terms of play, there was a very identifiable style, there it is more complicated when you have a lot of players who are in Europe and not necessarily in the biggest clubs “, adds Elton Mokolo.

For its part, Uruguay, the third South American nation to have won a World Cup (in 1930 and 1950) seems to be at the end of the cycle with a quarter-final in 2018. Finally, Chile, double winner of the Copa America in 2015 and 2016, never knew how to capitalize on his golden generation (Vidal, Alexis Sanchez …) as evidenced by his non-qualification for the last World Cup. “The gap between Europe and South America has grown”, explains Nicolas Cougot, editor-in-chief of Opposite skylight, newspaper specializing in South American football “There is a very clear economic factor, in terms of infrastructure, logistics, organization, linked to an economic power that Europe has and that South America does not”.

More than the results in the World Cup, the quality of South American players questions for the future. If Argentina has offered one of the greatest players in history in the person of Lionel Messi, the succession is struggling. Paulo Dybala, long announced as the future star of the Albiceleste, has never managed to win, weighed down by injuries (2 goals in only 29 selections). He was not called up for the Copa America. “The composition of the Argentina team for the Copa America is far from the beginning of 2000 when you had a constellation of stars, there you have players who are in more anonymous clubs”, analysis Elton Mokolo.

Brazil is not better off and is desperately looking for a new Neymar (29) who, however, still has good years ahead of him. As in recent years, the offensive sector of the Seleção appear below usual standards with players such as Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Barbosa and Roberto Firmino.

If Firmino has already stacked the decisive goals with Liverpool, the other three do not seem to have the shoulders to carry the selection. Barbosa returned to Brazil after his failure at Inter Milan. Richarlison has yet to play a single European encounter with Everton. Finally, Gabriel Jesus lost his starting place at Manchester City. The promising Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, recruited at a gold price by Real Madrid, do not yet have the aura of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho or Neymar at their age.

According to Nicolas Cougot, it is the precipitous departure of South American nuggets to the Old Continent that explains this drop in level: “There is an incessant plunder made by Europe, the players leave earlier and earlier with less and less experience on the continent, less and less matches with the South American clubs. We have young people. players who sign everywhere and nowhere and behind it is the selections who clink glasses.

These hasty trajectories contrast with that of a player like Neymar, who left him more mature Brazil. “Neymar took the time to grow up in Brazil, he arrived very early in Santos, he won league matches, he won a Copa Libertadores, he already had four seasons in his hands before signing for FC Barcelona, ​​he had time to advance in his career, he took the time to grow up in his training club “.

The finding of a lack of renewal is the same in other South American nations. The duo Cavani-Suarez, 34 years old each, who made the heyday of the Celeste, is coming to an end. Behind, only Federico Valverde, 22-year-old Real Madrid midfielder, seems to have the build to become a world-class player.

The concern is the same in Colombia: among the six players in the squad who have played a Champions League match this year, only two are under 30, Luis Diaz, left midfielder of FC Porto and Wilmar Barrios, midfielder of Zenit Saint PETERSBOURG. Finally, Chile has only one player who participated in the Champions League this season, the inexhaustible Arturo Vidal (34). A concrete element exists to illustrate this drop in level: these are the results of the South American U20 teams. Ultra-domineering for 20 years, with 8 world championship titles between 1993 and 2011, the youth selections fell into line and since 2013, none has won the world title.

An overall decline that is felt during the usual end-of-season rewards. Since 2017, only one South American player, who is neither Lionel Messi nor Neymar, has finished in the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or: Alisson, the Brazilian goalkeeper of Liverpool in 2019. “We have always had players who break through, the problem is that before we had the time to see them start to grow, we always said, yes it is a diamond but it is not yet polished, the clubs took the time to let them hatch at home. This is no longer the case and the selections have no control over it “, adds Nicolas Coujot.

Supposed to improve the image of the nations participating in it, the 2021 edition of the Copa America is taking place in very complicated conditions, and in particular on the extra-sporting level. The two designated organizers withdrew due to the Covid-19 pandemic for Argentina, riots and political protests for Colombia.

Brazil has finally taken up the torch. A gesture considered political, intended to show a form of “normality” in a country which records the second highest number of deaths linked to Covid on its territory (515,000 deaths). A complicated situation to manage for the teams: “Some teams spend their time going back and forth between their country and the Brazilian stadiums, because they stay in their health bubble to train” explains Nicolas Cougot.

Place now in the semi-finals after a first round played in empty stadiums and teams dispersed in two groups of five without any real stake (only the last one was eliminated) then chopped quarter-finals (4 red cards). Charge to two enticing meetings to awaken the public’s interest: the remake of the 2019 final, Brazil-Peru, on the night of Monday to Tuesday and Argentina-Colombia the next day.

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