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Bebeto struggles in final championship
Posted: Wednesday July 01, 1998 02:51 PM
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Bebeto (left) has heard the boos from Brazilian fans at this World Cup (AP) |
OZOIR LA FERRIERE, France (AP) --
Barely 20 minutes into the game, the boos began drifting down from the
stands. The target was the same as always: Bebeto.
Nothing he did seemed to please the fans. Ronaldo's pass was off the mark?
Bebeto was out of position. A tough ball in traffic? Bebeto blew it again.
The crowd chanted for Denilson, Edmundo -- anybody, it seemed, except
Bebeto.
Four years after he teamed up with Romario to lead Brazil to a
record fourth World Cup title, Bebeto's prestige has sunk to a low point.
His critics say he's too old, too slow, and undeserving of a starting spot
on the Brazilian attack.
Coach Mario Zagallo doesn't agree. Bebeto does everything asked of him, he
says. In fact, Zagallo cites Bebeto as an example for the often-static
Ronaldo.
"Bebeto at 34 moves like nobody else," Zagallo said. "But no one seems to
see this."
After every game, reporters ask Zagallo if he plans to bench Bebeto and
start Denilson. The answer each time has been no, Bebeto is fulfilling
expectations and -- for now -- remains a starter.
But against Chile, Zagallo
pulled Bebeto early in the second half and sent in Denilson. Afterward, the
coach said he preferred Brazil's play in the second half, even though the
team scored three of its four goals in the first half.
Outside the locker room, Bebeto didn't hide his frustration.
"I just don't understand. The others make bad passes, but the fault is
always mine," he said. "I'll take the first period a thousand times if we
score three goals."
Chief among the "others" is Ronaldo, and the lack of rapport between the
two is one of Bebeto's problems. The two-time FIFA Player of the Year has a
guaranteed spot in the lineup, so his partner -- whomever he may be -- must
adjust.
The two got off to a bad start at the 1996 Olympics, when Brazil played
poorly and finished third. Bebeto complained that Ronaldo hogged the ball,
while Ronaldo sniped that the team lacked leadership.
Although they made up at training camp, Ronaldo has said his preferred
linemate was Romario, dropped from the squad with a calf injury on the eve
of the Cup.
Bebeto also clashed with Dunga. The team captain complained that Bebeto was
slow setting up to defend a free kick, Bebeto answered back, and Leonardo
had to step between the two.
Bebeto blames his woes on the partisan fans and press from Sao Paulo,
Brazil's biggest city. He says they are against him because he plays for a
rival team in Rio de Janeiro.
Still, it's true that Bebeto is a step slower than in '94. He rarely makes
the whirlwind charges of four years ago, or floats backward for his
trademark volley shot.
Instead, he plays for the team. His passing still is sharp, and he roams
the field tirelessly to shake his defender and open spaces for teammates.
He even was Brazil's top scorer in the first round with two goals.
But looking over his shoulder is Denilson, the 20-year-old dribbling
dervish from Sao Paulo. His boyish grin and in-your-face style enchant
fans, and, along with 21-year-old Ronaldo, he represents the future.
"Sure, fans like Denilson. His flashy soccer is pleasing, and he's an
option to change the team," said team coordinator Zico. "But Bebeto has the
experience and the maturity to understand that."
In his third and final Cup, Bebeto isn't ready to quit.
"I'm 34, but with the head and the body of a kid," said Bebeto, who was
world champion for Brazil's 1983 junior team when Ronaldo was still in
kindergarten.
The booing hurts more because it's unfair, he said.
"I'm a world champion," he said. "I don't have to prove anything to
anyone."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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