Who is India's best footballer? Brazil captain Marquinhos reveals ahead of Kolkata friendly

Marquinhos is used to competing against the best. The 32-year-old has played over 100 games for Brazil and captains both the Seleção and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the reigning European champions. How does he then prepare for what would on paper be the feeble challenge of India?

As it turns out, meticulously. The defender said the Brazilians had analysed India closely and named goalkeeper and captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as a player who had caught their eye. He said Brazil are aiming to use friendlies like this one to restore confidence, win games, and prepare for the future.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti said Brazil were not able to solve the problems they had during the FIFA World Cup. And so they must work them out using such opportunities. This is evidenced by the rotation and the number of new players in the Brazil squad during this international break. He added that it was no longer possible to win using individual talent because of how much football has changed and emphasised the importance of building a strong squad.

Marquinhos, too, reflected on the new players, saying they bring momentum, enthusiasm, and synergy to the squad. Ancelotti said this is an opportunity for the players to show what they can do, more than a test. Both the manager and the captain reiterated Ancelotti’s earlier statement that there is no friendly match for Brazil. Ancelotti even said that India had players capable of troubling Brazil, naming Ryan Williams, who had looked like India’s sharpest attacker in training earlier in the day.

While Brazil is looking ahead, for India, the focus, understandably, seems to be almost entirely on their performance against the five-time World Cup winners. Both head coach Khalid Jamil and defender Anwar Ali stated that the team were fully focused on doing their best.

Jamil said that every player has to focus on the tasks given to him and that there was no room for even a momentary lapse. He also repeatedly spoke about the importance of doing the simple things right. Ali agreed, adding that overthinking can do more harm than good.

There had been phases of the game against Panama that India had dominated. But, Jamil made it clear that the plan would be different. “If we are playing a stronger team, we have to be defensively strong,” he said. Based on what THE WEEK witnessed in training, it seems like the attack will be concentrated on the wings.

This is also the most prudent strategy against a team of Brazil’s quality: defend resolutely and try to move the ball quickly on the transition to put the cross in before the Brazil defence has regained its shape. There could also be decoy runs to free up Williams to finish in the box. “If you give your best, anything can happen,” said Jamil.