Brazil defines World Cup list

Exactly one month away from the beginning of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the captain of Brazil's 1994 World Cup championship team and current head coach of the Brazilian national team, Dunga divulged on Tuesday the list of players he will carry to South Africa.

Keeping true to his promise of avoiding any "surprises", the coach named only the 23 athletes that will make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean.

Over the past three years and 10 months, Dunga has invited, analyzed and put to test some 85 Brazilian athletes.

He claims that his work has been long and tedious, but the result has led him to select only the best of players to represent Brazil next month on the world's largest stage of soccer.

As a former midfielder, Dunga called eight players in the position.

Coincidentally, Dunga's list of players is the same team that he used in the friendly against Ireland on March 2 in their 2-0 victory. Sticking to his promise of not having any surprise names on the list, Dunga left out the young and talented strikers at Santos Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso.

Neither of the athletes participated in a single game for the national team, falling out of Dunga's category of potential players to defend Brazil in South Africa. Additionally, Adriano ( Flamengo) and Ronaldinho (Milan/Italy) were omitted from the list of players to defend Brazil in South Africa.

As demanded by FIFA, the governing body of worldwide soccer, Brazil must hand in a list of seven players noted as reserve players. These players will be able to substitute an injured player, if medically proven, and replace him as one of the 23 players to compete in the World Cup.

Dunga and the Brazilian Confederation of Soccer (CBF) did not divulge publically the list of seven extra players, but will need to submit the additional players at the end of the day.

With only one month left before the World Cup kicks off, Tuesday is the deadline for 32 coaches throughout the world to declare their respective list of players to play in South Africa.

"Belive in us and cheer for us. Give us the privacy to conclude a great work that has been constructed over the last three years. Please don't interrupt our work like you did in 2006, yielding a poor result in Germany," said Dunga.

Another noteworthy omission was the member of the 2006 World Cup team, Roberto Carlos. The midfielder was widely pointed to as the responsible party for allowing France to eliminate Brazil from the 2006 tournament, finishing in a disappointing fifth place. Roberto Carlos previously announced his retirement from the national team after the defeat in Germany, but returned to Brazil in 2010 in hopes of redeeming himself with the fans by participating in the 2010 World Cup.

Nevertheless, there was no room on Dunga's list for the veteran athlete. The 23 athletes named in Tuesday's list will be expected to arrive for the Brazilian national team's pre-World Cup practices in the city of Curitiba, Parana, on May 21.

On May 26, the team will travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, in preparation for their debut in the World Cup against DPR Korea on June 15. Brazil's second match in Group G will be against the Cote d'Ivoire on June 20, followed by the promising match against rival Portugal on June 25.

Brazil is currently ranked in first place against all other national teams, as named by FIFA. They are heavy favorites to win this year's World Cup. The team will carry their high expectations into the World Cup having already won the Confederations Cup, the American Cup and as the leader of the South American bracket of World Cup qualifiers.

Having already won the World Cup in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, Brazil will look to win their record sixth World Cup title in South Africa.

Following is the squad:

Goalkeepers Julio Cesar (Inter/Italy), Doni (Roma/Italy) and Gomes (Tottenham/England);

Defenders: Lucio (Inter/Italy), Juan (Roma/Italy), Luisao ( Benfica/Portugal), Thiago Silva (Milan/Italy), Maicon (Inter/Italy) , Daniel Alves (Barcelona/Spain), Michel Bastos (Lyon/France), and Gilberto (Cruzeiro);

Midfielders: Felipe Melo (Juventus/Italy), Gilberto Silva ( Panathinaikos/Greece), Josue (Wolfsburg/Germany), Kleberson ( Flamengo), Kaka (Real/Spain), Ramires (Benfica/Portugal), Elano ( Galatasaray/Turkey) and Julio Baptista (Roma/Italy);

Strikers: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/Spain), Robinho (Santos), Nilmar (Villarreal/Spain) and Grafite (Wolfsburg/Germany).

Source: Xinhua