The weight of legacy can either propel you or crush you down. The people of Brazil will hope Neymar and co. can ride the tide at Russia this summer.
The World Cup is here; you can almost hear it scooting into town now. The world’s elite have landed in Russia, finished with their warm-ups and ready to dream the dream once more. Suddenly, the scanty little football shop in your neighbourhood will start selling national team jerseys too. Manchester United and Real Madrid kits will have to spend a while inside the dirty-racks nobody reaches out for as the blue of France and the red of Spain catch your eyeballs from the street outside.
As the opening ceremony draws closer, the air of hype and anticipation is growing denser by the minute. For the next month, football discussions at office water-coolers will inadvertently include a World Cup angle now. “Ronaldo has a better chance, but Messi can win the Ballon d’Or if Argentina do well.”
Amongst the thirty-two teams, Brazil can call themselves the rightful owners of the highest share of this mindspace, transcendent of patriotism and support for other countries. They are the rockstars of football fandom; not everyone’s cup of tea, but they escape the attention of very, very few. Brazil could enter the first group match against Switzerland with eleven goalkeepers and the world will still watch with bated breath.