Aventuras Américas | Part 42 | Brazil #1: Manager of Brazil

We’re taking charge of our first international side after 12 domestic sides, so a few bookmarks for previous teams might be helpful. Feel free to begin the Aventuras Américas journey at the job hunt stage, club 1 Puerto Montt, club 2 Universidad Católica, club 3 New York Red Bulls, club 4 River Plate Montevideo, club 5 América de Cali, club 6 Alianza Lima, club 7 Puebla FC, club 8 Palmeiras, club 9 FC Edmonton, club 10 Newell’s Old Boys, club 11 Godoy Cruz and club 12 Flamengo.

One month after being appointed as Flamengo boss, Roberto Nascimento da Silva Lazaró became the proudest man in South America as he was appointed manager of the Brazilian national team.

The Brazil of 2040 remains one of the best teams in world football, currently sitting number three in the FIFA rankings behind Germany and Spain. Neymar remains the record scorer in Brazilian history with 78 goals in 135 caps and it seems unlikely Cafu’s record 143 caps will ever be beaten (although Neymar might have if he hadn’t retired from football aged 34).

Lazaró’s first objective is to qualify for the 2042 World Cup, which will be held in France. Brazil has won the World Cup in this save back in 2026, taking it to six world titles alongside 11 Copa America and three Olympic Games successes.

They currently top the South American World Cup Qualifying group with four wins and two draws from six games, which puts them one point clear of Uruguay and three clear of Argentina and Colombia.

Meet the Brazil team of 2040

Lazaró’s first squad announcement came one month into his tenure, during which he hired new staff members and familiarised himself with the best Brazilian players and prospects. And he used that to select the following squad:

Goalkeepers: Talles Antonio (Bayern Munich), Rikelmi (Pumas), Alanderson (Cuiabá)
Right-backs: Gil (Arsenal), Célio Carlos (Flamengo)
Left-backs: Hélder (Man UFC), Beto (RB Leipzig)
Centre-backs: Victor (Real Madrid), Giuliano Victor (Man City), Batata (Cuiabá)
Midfielders: Antonio Sergio (Barcelona), Johnny (Man City), Joao Antonio (Atlético Madrid), Lima (Benfica), Thales Natanael (Atlético Madrid)
Attacking midfielders: Waldemar Oldra (PSG), Luiz Antonio (Atlético Madrid), Ricardo (Cuiabá)
Strikers: Bruno Jacinto (Arsenal), Carlos Renato (Barcelona), Alceu (Santos), Luis Felipe Borges (Santos), Raimundao (Corinthians)

Despite most of the current squad being well over the age of 30, none have scored more than 34 goals for Brazil and only three have scored more than 10. However, their best three players all play for Barcelona. The pick of the lot is stunningly good attacking midfielder Antonio Sergio, along with midfielder Joao Antonio and striker Carlos Renato.

Pushing them close are Arsenal striker Bruno Jacinto, Man UFC left-back Hélder and Atlético midfielder Luiz Antonio. However, his first squad selection was missing one of his best players in Man UFC attacking midfielder Carlos Bruno through injury.

The best prospects are 24-year-old midfielder Waldemar Oldra, who PSG just spent £108 million to sign from Man UFC, and 17-year-old Ricardo, who Lazaró gave his first call-up. The squad also includes Lazaró’s old América de Cali centre-back Batata, who’s now 33, and former Palmeiras left-back Beto, who’s now at Leipzig, and his Flamengo right-back Célio Carlos, who also got his first call-up. His former Palmeiras wonderkid Júlio David, who joined Fiorentina for £14 million in 2039, will also be part of the national setup but is currently out with a broken leg.

Brazil duty begins

Lazaró didn’t have far to travel for his first match as Brazil manager as they entertained Ecuador at Flamengo’s home stadium, the Maracana, in early September 2040. His reign started well as a brilliant Hélder passed picked out Renato to smash home, before the striker laid on the second for debutant Luis Felipe Borges to wrap up a 2-0 win.

That set up a second vs. top clash as Brazil travelled to Uruguay. They made a flying start with two well-worked goals through Joao Antonio and Luiz Antonio but gifted Uruguay a goal with their first shot on target. The visitors continued to dominate and missed a host of chances but sealed a key 2-1 win.

Split loyalties

Lazaró’s second round of qualifiers began as his second nation hosted his country of birth, with Colombia visiting the Maracaná. The two countries had a bitter rivalry, but Lazaró was more worried about the prospect of his Brazilian father and Colombian mother going head-to-head in the director’s box he’d booked out for them!

On the pitch, nothing happened until the legend that is Batata scored his first goal for Brazil with five minutes remaining. That moved Brazil five points clear at the top and all but qualified for the World Cup halfway through the group.

But their biggest test followed as Brazil made the trip to Argentina. Selecao started well as Renato scored inside three minutes and missed a few decent chances. But Argentina increasingly grew into the game, deservedly equalised and were probably unlucky not to win. But Lazaró gladly took a 1-1 draw.

Brazil somehow only beat Chile 2-1 despite having 27 shots (of which 20 were off-target) and 3.01 xG to five shots and 0.43 xG. But Lazaró’s boy Batata played an 8.2 to nail down his starting position ahead of an overrated Man City defender. And that set a new CONMEBOL World Cup Qualification record of 25 games unbeaten!

The mighty Batata scored twice on his birthday in a 4-0 win over Bolivia and Júlio David scored an absolute howitzer on his debut in a 2-0 win in Peru, which confirmed qualification. The strong form continued, including a 4-0 win over Paraguay led by a Renato hat-trick, before a 3-1 loss at Lazaró’s home nation Colombia, who somehow scored three times from five shots and all their shots on target.

A 3-0 win in Ecuador ensured Brazil were two points clear of Argentina, who had one better goal difference, going into the final qualifier. Brazil hosted Uruguay and Argentina went to Ecuador. The Argentinians raced into a 4-0 lead in the first-half while Brazil led through Carlos Renato’s early goal but, as usual, missed a host of chances. That came back to bite them as Uruguay, unsurprisingly, scored their only shot on target. Lazaró laid into his team, moved to a 4-2-4 and very attacking and it worked as his Flamengo loanee Júlio David came off the bench to net an 89th-minute winner.

That late winner confirmed top place in the group with 14 wins, three draws and a defeat, scoring 39 and conceding 13 from 18 games. And Brazil were headed to World Cup 2042! It also moved Brazil up one place to second in the FIFA world rankings, only behind Germany.

Batata had the second-best average rating in the group with his 7.47 only bettered by Argentina’s ridiculous winger Julio Muller, who plays for Liverpool. While Carlos Renato tied for the most goals with nine, along with two Argentinians and a Colombian striker, and Talles Antonio got the most clean sheets with eight.