Carlos DUNGA
Internacional & Brazil
Full Name: Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri
Date of Birth: October 31, 1963
Birthplace: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 77 kg
Previous Clubs: Internacional (Brazil), Fiorentina (Italy), VFB Stuttgart (Germany), Jubilo Iwata (Japan)
Brazil's motivator and on-field enforcer, Dunga spends nearly the entire match remonstrating with the referee, reprimanding his team-mates or winding up opponents. In victory and defeat, he has been a symbol of the Brazilian team, his buzz-cut hair a reflection of his commando image. A complex figure who combines a hard-man exterior with a reflective intellect, Dunga is the glue that holds a super-talented team together. He is not as skilled as a Ronaldo or a Roberto Carlos, but he is still a technically accomplished player, obvious to anyone who has seen him practice ball skills on the training ground. His quality 40-yard cross field passes with the outside of his right foot could not be done by anyone less than a technical master.
Yet he has never enjoyed a good press back home, where work-rate is a poor substitute for divine skills, however his character and commitment have never been in doubt. "I am strong mentally, very strong, and that is more important than anything," says Dunga. "How many very talented players have done badly in a World Cup because they were not strong enough mentally. I'm not trying to build myself up out of vanity. I am also very aware of what I'm not. But I know exactly who I am and what I can give." He captained the Brazilian side to victory in the 1994 World Cup in the United States and was a key figure in the France 98 campaign.
Dunga made his full international debut when he came on as a substitute in a friendly against England at Wembley in May 1987, although before that he had played in the 1984 Olympics. His first World Cup experience in Italy eight years ago was a bitter one as his name became associated with Brazil's premature exit. In 1990, coach Sebastiao Lazaroni hailed the tough, scrappy style of his midfield bulldog. He announced the dawning of the "Dunga Era" and said Brazil's team would be "Dunga and 10 more." That didn't sit well with many Brazilians, who preferred a ball artist such as Careca, Bebeto or Romario as a symbol for the team. It sounded even worse when Brazil got knocked out early by archrival Argentina, and the "Dunga Era" became a code phrase for ugly, artless soccer. But if fans renounced him, coaches admired his courage, his leadership and his skills as an offensive creator and long-range threat.
He returned to the national team in 1994, again a symbol of the dedication to winning a fourth Cup title. To give an example of the pressures in Brazilian football, he said none of the 1994 team could have returned to Brazil had they not won the World Cup. "It was victory or exile and nothing in between.
That's why I was so emotional when I held the cup moments after victory." Dunga says he hasn't changed through his career in Brazil, Germany, Italy and Japan. His experience gives him perspective, but he always knew what was important. "For Brazil, we must try to win always," he said. "I know how much it hurts to lose and how joyful it is to win, so I want always to continue being a winner." If he is critical of his teammates "describing them as lacking humility" they take it as he intends it -- to encourage them to greater success. Retired from international football at the end of the 1998 World Cup. "Nobody likes to leave, if it were possible I would like to continue doing this for eternity," says Dunga. "Despite the problems and the pressures, it's always been an enormous pleasure to put on the Brazil shirt. It's a great thrill. There's no description for what I feel at that moment when the national anthem plays. A phase in my life is coming to an end. I hope I have left good memories." Spent four years in the J-League with Jubilo Iwata after joining the club in 1995.
