“Could England turn into Flamengo?”: Globo host's odd Copa comparison | OneFootball

Marcelo Barreto, a SporTV host from Grupo Globo, recalled an old joke about Flamengo’s title drought

In the years leading up to Flamengo’s back-to-back continental titles, host Marcelo Barreto used to joke that the Rubro-Negro was the “England of the Libertadores.” After all, Mengão had only one title and always came in as one of the favorites, just like the British in the World Cup.

World champion in 1966, England is once again being tipped as a contender in the World Cup. However, while Flamengo took off in the Libertadores and is now a four-time champion, will Harry Kane’s team follow the same path? Marcelo Barreto brought the topic up again during SporTV’s programming, from Grupo Globo.

“Let’s ask that question we ask at every World Cup: will England finally do it? Will England become the Flamengo of the World Cups, now that Flamengo is no longer the England of the World Cups?,” Marcelo Barreto said.

WHAT WERE THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FLAMENGO?

England is one of the world football powers, but it has only one World Cup on its résumé. Since 1966, the ‘English Team’ has never reached another final. At best, it made two semifinals, in 1990 and 2018. Despite that underwhelming record, the team comes into the tournament as one of the favorites, with star striker Harry Kane as its main standout.

As for Flamengo, champion of the 1981 Libertadores, the club piled up embarrassing performances in the tournament. For several years, the Most Beloved did not even qualify for the competition. On top of that, when it did earn a spot, it was often knocked out in the first round, including some humiliating exits.

However, after 2019, everything changed. Flamengo is now a four-time Libertadores champion, the Brazilian club with the most trophies, and is three titles away from matching Independiente’s (ARG) feat as the ‘king of the Libertadores,’ with seven. So, will England manage to ‘pull a Flamengo’?

WHEN DOES ENGLAND PLAY?

England will take its first step toward a second World Cup title this Wednesday (17), against Croatia, starting at 5:00 p.m. Brasília time. The match will be played at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, United States.

The clash is part of Group L, which also includes Ghana and Panama. Those two teams, in fact, also make their World Cup debuts this Wednesday (17), at 8:00 p.m. Brasília time. The ball rolls at Toronto Field in Canada. So, will England cruise through, like the 2026 Flamengo, or crash out in the first round, like the 2014 Mengão? Leave your predictions in the comments.

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