Brazil forward Pedro has expressed confidence in the current generation of Brazilian talent, highlighting the presence of several stars at top European clubs while acknowledging the growing pressure on the national team to end its long wait for World Cup glory. The Selecao have not won the World Cup since 2002, when a squad consisting of the likes of Golden Boot winner Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, who was the tournament’s joint-second top scorer, overpowered Germany in the final. But the current team, Pedro insists, boasts stars of a similar calibre.
“Back in the day we had Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Romario, but if you look at football today, Brazil has players like that,” Pedro told ESPN. “There’s Vini at Real Madrid, Raphinha at Barcelona, me and Estevao at Chelsea, and Andrey, too. They all play for top clubs. What is a bother is that it’s been a long time since Brazil won a World Cup. We’re the greatest national team in the world, and when you go without winning for a long time, that pressure builds up.”