Former international goalkeeper Marcos, who helped Brazil win the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, announced his retirement on Thursday after 20 years spent with Palmeiras.
The 38-year-old, who kept goal in their 2-0 win over Germany in the Korea/Japan 2002 Final, also won the Copa Libertadores in 1999 and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.
"After 20 years dedicated service to Palmeiras, the goalkeeper Marcos has decided to hang up his gloves," said a statement released by the Sao Paulo club.
Mark Schwarzer has signed a one-year extension to his Fulham contract which will keep him at the club until 2013.
The 39-year-old, widely regarded as one of the most reliable keepers in the Premier League, joined the Cottagers on a free transfer in 2008 following a long stint with Middlesbrough.
Schwarzer said he hoped to prolong his club career at least until the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.
"I love playing and want to continue for as long as possible, as long as the performances are there," he said. "I like to set myself targets and the 2014 World Cup is my goal without a doubt.
"I'm enjoying my football as much as ever and I try to maximise every opportunity I get. The saying I use is, 'I'll be a long time retired', so I want to do the best job I can. There's plenty of time to feel tired when you're retired - now is the time to enjoy it."
Schwarzer, who is currently injured, said he had taken inspiration from Tottenham Hotspur 40-year-old keeper Brad Friedel.
"I look at Brad Friedel and he's older than me, so I'll keep going as long as he's going!" he told Fulham's official website. "He said to me he's going to play for at least another two seasons, so I've got at least that."
Ze Roberto’s individual gifts earned him a place in the Brazil side and spells with some of the world’s biggest clubs, among them Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Now in the twilight of his career, the veteran midfielder is enjoying life in Qatar, where he is starring for Al Gharrafa.
Winding down after an intense training session, Ze Roberto gave an exclusive interview to FIFA.com to discuss his time in Spain and Germany, new challenge in Qatar and his country's chances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.
FIFA.com: Ze Roberto, you’ve had a long career. What’s brought you to Qatar for a new challenge at Al Gharrafa?
Ze Roberto: Well, I’d been receiving offers from Qatar for the last five years, but I’d always turned them down because I was very happy where I was, in the Bundesliga. Lots of things have changed since Qatar was named host of the 2022 World Cup. Interest in the game has grown here over the last few years, infrastructures are better and clubs have improved. They’re attracting some big players now, which has raised the standard of the league. Before taking a decision I spoke to my friend Juninho [Pernambucano], who played for Al Gharrafa and couldn’t speak highly enough of his time here. There was no way I could turn down the offer after that, especially as I was looking for a new challenge. I think this is going to be a very rewarding experience, even for someone of my age. I’ll be doing what I can to help my club and Qatari football as a whole, and right now I’m very happy here in Doha.
You played in Spain and then in Germany, where you appeared for three clubs. Can you tell us about your experiences in both leagues and the differences between them?
Even though I wasn’t with Real Madrid for very long, I still learned a lot and won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. I really enjoyed living in the city too. After that I went to Leverkusen and reached the Champions League final, where we were beaten by my former club. I moved on to Bayern Munich and won a number of major titles before being sold to Hamburg. And while I was in Europe I also went back to Brazil for spells with Flamengo and Santos. The focus in Spain is on individual qualities and attacking football, and that’s why they go to every effort to buy great players. Things are more strict in Germany and there’s more discipline both in terms of tactics and fitness. The majority of clubs don’t make big signings, except for Bayern Munich, which is why they dominate the league and reach Champions League finals. My feeling is that German clubs should spend more on transfers to make the championship more competitive, and to try and reach the top and stay there.
When you played for Brazil, they usually finished champions or runners-up in tournaments. What was the secret of their success back then?
The team was gradually overhauled after winning the 1994 World Cup and the young players that came in were able to draw on the experience of the older players. That created a special kind of chemistry in the team, which helped us go on and win more titles, such as the Confederations Cup and the Copa America. We also reached the Final of the 1998 World Cup, and then made up for losing that by winning at Korea/Japan 2002. We stood still after Germany 2006, and our failure there should have resulted in radical changes in the build-up to the South Africa World Cup. The team continued to rely on individuals, though, and the results were there for all to see. Lots of things have changed since then. Some big players have been discarded to make way for a new team in the run-up to the next World Cup, to be played on home soil.
Is there a danger of there being too much pressure on the national team, to the extent that they won’t be allowed to lose?
Yes. Brazilians have got football in their blood and have been dreaming of the world title since the day the country was awarded the 2014 World Cup. Back in 1950, we passed up a great opportunity at the Maracana, a disappointment that everyone wants to put behind them. There’s no doubt the team will have a huge amount of pressure on their shoulders for the simple reason that Brazilian people are never happy with second place.
How do you think Brazil are shaping up for 2014?
I feel the best is yet to come. There have been a lot of changes and an ambitious rebuilding plan was put in place last year, with talented youngsters such as [Alexandre] Pato, Neymar and Ganso all coming into the side. Brazil is still a breeding ground for great players, as we showed by winning the U-20 World Cup last year. We need time to strengthen the team, which is going to grow and develop, and if everything goes as planned, I’m sure they’ll live up to the fans’ expectations. The players need to gel now and play more internationals so they can work on their weak points and develop their strengths. If they keep doing what they’ve been doing up to now, I’m sure they’ll be a competitive outfit and I’m sure we’ll see the Trophy coming back to Brazil.
Former Germany international and current USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann paid a visit to the headquarters of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Local Organising Committee this Thursday.
The ex-striker was in Rio de Janeiro to attend the International Football Forum (Footecon) and took the opportunity to find out how the LOC operates, check the progress being made at the stadiums and speak to the heads of the Competition Department.
“It’s going to be a memorable event for the whole world and for the people of Brazil in particular,” said Klinsmann, voicing his belief that Brazil 2014 will be nothing less than a success. “There are a lot of infrastructure issues that need to be sorted out before the teams arrive in the Host Cities, but even so this is sure to be a tournament that’s remembered first and foremost for the Brazilian hosts.”
Brazil 2014 will bring about many significant changes for millions of people across the country, one of them being improvements in public transport. In the northeastern city of Fortaleza, for example, the construction of a new metro line linking the southern and central parts of the city is nearing completion and will open next year.
There are already very clear signs of the legacy that the staging of the world finals will have for Brazil. The preparations taking place across the nation to ready it for the influx of visitors from near and far is providing a boost for local economies and generating employment and training opportunities.
In addition to improvements in services and the creation of jobs, there will also be thousands of vacancies for volunteers, who will have a vital contribution to make in ensuring the success of the biggest footballing show on the planet.
The LOC and FIFA are hoping to open the application period for the Brazil 2014 volunteer programme in the first half of next year, with some 80,000 people expected to apply for the 15,000 to 18,000 places to be filled.
Tribute was paid to the valuable work performed by these unpaid heroes last Monday, 5 December, which has been declared International Volunteer Day by the United Nations as part of an initiative designed to promote volunteering.
For more information on the Brazil 2014 volunteer programme write to voluntarios@brasil2014.com.br
MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina -- Marcelo Huertas scored a game-high 17 points and Brazil downed Canada 69-57 Wednesday in the opening game of the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament for both teams.
Huertas shot 66.7 per cent from the floor and added six assists. Brazil had four players with 12 points or more, while no Canadian scored in double digits.
Jermaine Anderson led Canada with nine points while Aaron Doornekamp and Cory Joseph each added eight. Miami Heat centre Joel Anthony added nine rebounds.
"We knew coming in that it was going to be a tough game against Brazil," said Anderson. "We know they play very physical, like to run a lot of pick and rolls."
Brazil outrebounded Canada 40-37 and shot 44.8 per cent as a team, compared to Canada's disappointing 32.8 per cent.
"Generally speaking, throughout this game, we did a pretty good job on the glass," said head coach Leo Rautins. "I mean, Brazil only had three offensive rebounds, they had none at half time."
Rautins believes Canada's poor shooting inflated Brazil's rebounding numbers.
"We missed a lot of shots early. I think we started the beginning of the game 4-of-17," said Rautins. "Even though Brazil had a slight edge on the glass that was really largely because we just missed a lot of shots so they got defensive rebounds."
Canada opened a 17-12 lead in the first quarter, but Brazil outscored Canada 21-11 in the second quarter to take a 33-28 lead at the half. Canada pulled to within a point after three quarters, but Brazil thumped Canada 22-11 in the fourth to put the game away.
"Quite frankly, in the first half our defence was tremendous except when we took quick shots or rushed shots we gave up like 12, 13, points on transition baskets the other way," said Rautins. "A lot of that came from our offence.
"We can't do that. We can't put ourselves in that situation."
The Canadians are looking for their first Olympic appearance since the 2000 Sydney Games. The first two finishers at the tournament earn automatic berths to the 2012 London Games, while the third- through fifth-place finishers will play in a second-chance qualifying tournament next summer to determine the final three Olympic entries.
Canada's next game is Thursday against the Dominican Republic.
