Hope we’ll have opportunity to celebrate again after 38 years: Cesar
DOHA: Ex-Inter Milan and Flamengo star Julio Cesar felt that Flamengo have a good opportunity to beat European champions Liverpool in Saturday evening’s FIFA Club World Cup final.
The winner of the 2010 title with Inter Milan will be the official trophy bearer at the final.
FIFA.com spoke to the former Inter Milan, Benfica and Flamengo stopper.
Excerpts:
As a Flamengo supporter yourself, you’ll also be feeling a lot of what many of those in the stands are feeling on Saturday, too.
Flamengo has approximately 40 million fans in Brazil, it’s massive. When they get inside the stadium you know about it, because they’re just different. I really can’t explain it. It’s hard to get across what you feel when you’re on the pitch and they get behind you. I really think the fans can make the difference, but there will be plenty of fans from Liverpool who will try to do the same. It’s going to be a great spectacle in the stands and it’s going to be great on the pitch, too, as we’re talking about two fantastic teams.
What are your memories of the moment you became a world champion?
In South America, this tournament is huge, bigger than the Libertadores. So, when I had the opportunity to win this competition with Inter, as I’m from Brazil I celebrated a huge amount with my countrymen Lucio and Maicon, as well as the Argentinian players. For South America it means so much to us.
What would it mean for those Flamengo fans to see their team crowned the best in the world?
It would be huge. We had the opportunity in 1981 to see us be crowned the best in the world, so I hope after 38 years we’ll have the opportunity to celebrate again. It will be tough because Liverpool are one of the best teams on the planet today. Over the last three years they have been incredible under Jurgen Klopp and with this team. But I think Flamengo have a good opportunity to beat them because during this season they have been amazing: they won the Brasileirao, they won the Libertadores and I think they will arrive in really strong shape.
