On Sunday, Brazil won their first Copa America in 12 years. One common denominator between the 2007 and 2019 triumphs is current captain Dani Alves, who at 36, was the MVP of the tournament and a much better captain than Neymar can ever dream to be.
The other unsung hero of the Copa America 2019 was coach Tite. While the South American trainer is not well known outside of South America, he has now won all the prestigious trophies that South America has to offer.
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Tite won the Copa Sudamericana with Internacional in 2008, the second most illustrious club honor in South America. Later on in 2012, he won the most prestigious honor in the continent, the Copa Libertadores, followed by the Club World Cup, defeating Chelsea by 1-0 in the final. Now he has topped his club achievements by winning a Copa America for his country on home soil.
The coach is known for his ability to stop opposing teams from playing their game and a disciplined approach to defending, which Brazil excelled at in the Copa. He learned from Luis Felipe Scolari himself, who later became his rival. Tite can be regarded as one of the best South American coaches out there. A win at the 2022 World Cup would cement his place in Brazilian footballing folklore.
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Speaking of an impressive palmares, Brazil captain Dani Alves now boasts one of the most decorated careers in world football.
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 La Liga
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Spanish Super Cup
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Copa Del Rey
🏆🏆🏆🏆 European Super Cup
🏆🏆🏆 Champions League
🏆🏆🏆 Club World Cup
🏆🏆 Confederations Cup
🏆🏆 UEFA Cup
🏆🏆 Copa America
🏆🏆 Trophée des Champions
🏆🏆 Ligue 1
🏆 Serie A
🏆 Italian Supercup
🏆 1 French League Cup
He is now at forty trophies, with no sign of stopping. Dani Alves was brilliant during this Copa America, showing great tenacity at right-back, proving age is just a number. He might not be as fast as he was ten years ago but his superior technical ability still allows him to keep the ball and help his team get out of tricky situations.
Alves is now one of Brazil’s legend. With Tite as coach and Alves as captain, it might not be surprising if we see Brazil bag a record sixth World Cup in Qatar come 2022.
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