Ex-Japan coach Zico warns Brazil ahead of World Cup match

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Coluna do Fla

·28. Juni 2026

Ex-Japan coach Zico warns Brazil ahead of World Cup match

Zico was the coach of the Asian team in the only Brazil vs Japan match in World Cups

The greatest idol in Flamengo’s history, Zico also built a remarkable legacy in Japanese football. After helping drive the sport’s growth in the Asian country as a player and later as head coach of the national team, the “Little Rooster” knows better than almost anyone the opponent Brazil will face this Monday (29), in a decisive clash in the second round of the World Cup.

In an interview with the B.A.R.C.A.S.T Podcast on the “Xiado Carioca” channel, Zico analyzed the matchup and issued an important warning for Carlo Ancelotti’s team. In the view of Flamengo’s greatest idol, Japan has evolved considerably in recent decades and can cause Brazil plenty of problems.

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— It’s a game in which both teams try to play. Brazil need to be careful with their speed and movement, because they never stop. They need to pay attention to that. The Brazilians already did well against Scotland, they did better, but in the match against Morocco you could see they were lost. Positioning-wise, with all the movement, they just couldn’t find the Moroccans —, Zico explained.

HOW DOES ZICO RATE ANCELOTTI’S WORK?

Despite criticism of Brazil’s performance in their World Cup opener, Zico believes Carlo Ancelotti managed to find an ideal setup during the group stage. For Flamengo’s eternal No. 10, the team improved precisely after the coach settled on a core lineup.

— It’s a good thing Brazil picked up in those last two games and settled on the team. Ancelotti came up against Morocco, which is one of the best teams in the World Cup, a team that deserves respect, they were semifinalists in the last World Cup —, said the Little Rooster.

— They really put Brazil under pressure in those 20 minutes, and of course a lot of people didn’t understand that, but he (Ancelotti) was still unsure about who to choose. Then in the second half I think he settled on the team, then came Haiti in the second game, and in the third there weren’t many changes. As a group, scoring goals and winning games, that gives you confidence —, he added.

WHAT IS ZICO’S CONNECTION TO JAPANESE FOOTBALL?

Zico’s relationship with Japan goes far beyond the pitch. After ending his spell at Flamengo, the Little Rooster accepted the challenge of playing for Sumitomo Metal, the club that would later become Kashima Antlers (JPN). Between 1991 and 1994, he became one of the main figures responsible for popularizing professional football in the country.

Later, the former player took charge of the Japanese national team between 2002 and 2006. During that period, he won the 2004 Asian Cup and secured Japan’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup. At that tournament, Brazil and Japan faced each other for the first time in the competition’s history, with Brazil winning 4-1 in the final round of the group stage.

WHY DOES JAPAN DESERVE SO MUCH ATTENTION?

Because he knows the evolution of Japanese football so deeply, Zico made a point of stressing that the situation has completely changed compared to the past. According to the former star, the work done over the last few decades has allowed the Asian side to stop struggling against South American and African opponents.

— Japan are different today, so it’s good to stay alert. They used to have great difficulty playing against South Americans and Africans. When I was with the national team, I worked hard so we could have matches against African and South American teams —, he said.

WHEN IS BRAZIL VS JAPAN?

With a place in the World Cup round of 16 at stake, Brazil and Japan will face each other next Monday (29) at 2 p.m. Brasília time. The match will take place at NRG Stadium, in the city of Houston, Texas, United States.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION?

— Brazil vs Japan has everything to be a very evenly matched game. Ancelotti’s style is not to keep possession all the time, just like the Japanese team. Both like to capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes. So our national team may do well with the spaces Vini Jr has been exploiting in this World Cup —, said Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

MORE QUOTES FROM ZICO Besides the podcast interview, Zico was at a sports medicine event at the Maracanã this Saturday (27), CardioFut. At the gathering, the Little Rooster spoke about several topics, including Brazil vs Japan next Monday (29). Check out everything he told Rock Hudson from Coluna do Fla at the event. IMPORTANCE OF CARDIOFUT “I think this is essential. I was already there last year. It’s nice to be able to share experiences, right? Some happy, others less so. Especially for me, since I lost my brother because of a heart problem after a match, a pickup game. So whatever can be done to prevent it, to be alert to the signs, and to guide people who play sports today is always very good. I see that the football community has been helping a lot, and that has been important in terms of the information that’s needed.” WILL YOU CHEER FOR BRAZIL OR JAPAN? “Brazil. What could be worse than being Japan’s coach against Brazil? I was in that situation twice, so now, my son, if Brazil win, great, I’m Brazilian. If they lose, I won’t be sad either, because Japanese football has a little piece of the Coimbra family there.” MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT AT THE MARACANÃ “Those weeks there, the semifinal and the final (of the 1987 Brazilian Championship), I had a serious knee injury, I needed surgery again. And then I played, and every time I played, at halftime my knee would swell up, and I had to come off in the second half, all the way through to the final against Inter. The game ended, champions. It was the first time my son Thiago saw his father become champion at the Maracanã. And I was there, receiving the trophy as captain and all that, and it was Flamengo, everyone shouting that we were champions. Suddenly, there was silence and they started chanting my name. So that’s something that really stays with you. It was emotional for me, maybe one of the most emotional moments of recognition from the fans for the effort I made to play those four final games.” MOST IMPORTANT GOAL “Grêmio were 1-0 up (in the 1982 Brazilian Championship final), and right at the end we equalized. Then there were two more games. If we lose that match at the Maracanã, we go to Porto Alegre with no morale at all, so the draw reset everything. No one had an advantage, except for playing the last match there in Porto Alegre, which ended 0-0. Then we won with a goal by Nunes and became champions. So for me, the goal I scored here at the Maracanã was the most important.” WORST FIELDS HE PLAYED ON “I once scored a goal in Paraguay. But I spoke so badly about that field, I always badmouthed it, I used to call it ‘Defensor Del Charco’ (a joke on the name Defensores del Chaco). It was so bad to play on. There was no water. The field was difficult. I remember when I received the ball, I went in to carry it forward. When it bounced, I had to pull it back, and then it was that pickup-game kind of thing. I dragged it back with my heel and hit it first time. I scored other prettier goals in my career thanks to that bad field.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.