The Brazil side of the early 2000s was arguably the last truly great Selecao team.
The devastating full-back pairing of Cafu and Roberto Carlos was supplemented by an awe-inspiring frontline of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, and it was this side that won Brazil’s last World Cup title in 2002.
Only once since then have Brazil reached the semi-final stage of the World Cup, with the 2014 last-four thrashing on home soil by Germany an occasion that every Brazilian football fan would rather forget.
Juan Pablo Angel on scoring against Brazil
It’s therefore not a huge surprise that even twenty-plus years on, scoring against that last classic Brazil side remains a badge of honour for any player.
Former Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel scored nine goals in 33 appearances for Colombia, but his strike in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat in 2003 remains something he will never forget.
“Scoring against Brazil, surely the best national team of all time, was one of the most significant moments of my career,” Angel tells FourFourTwo.
“It was impossible to look at them – Cafu, Rivaldo, Kaka, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Roberto Carlos – and not think it was all a video game.
“Ronaldo made it 1-0, but on 40 minutes I equalised with a header. Suspended in the air, I won the duel against Lucio and surprised Dida.
“I was in my prime, playing well at Villa, and felt capable of anything.
“The stadium exploded. Kaka made it 2-1 in the second half, but it still was a memorable afternoon for me personally, and a proud memory.”
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