"The Brazil side of the early 2000s was arguably the last truly great Selecao team. The devastating full-back pairing of Cafu and Roberto Carlos was supplemented by an awe-inspiring frontline of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, and it was this side that won Brazil's last World Cup title in 2002. Only once since then have Brazil reached the semi-final stage of the World Cup, with the 2014 last-four thrashing on home soil by Germany an occasion that every Brazilian football fan would rather forget."
"It's therefore not a huge surprise that even twenty-plus years on, scoring against that last classic Brazil side remains a badge of honour for any player. Former Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel scored nine goals in 33 appearances for Colombia, but his strike in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat in 2003 remains something he will never forget. Brazil were coming off the back of their 2002 World Cup win (Image credit: Getty Images)"
"Scoring against Brazil, surely the best national team of all time, was one of the most significant moments of my career, Angel tells FourFourTwo. It was impossible to look at them Cafu, Rivaldo, Kaka, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Roberto Carlos and not think it was all a video game. Ronaldo made it 1-0, but on 40 minutes I equalised with a header. Suspended in the air, I won the duel against Lucio and surprised Dida."
The early-2000s Brazil side combined legendary full-backs Cafu and Roberto Carlos with a forward line of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo and won the 2002 World Cup. Brazil seldom reached subsequent World Cup semi-finals, notably suffering a heavy 2014 home defeat to Germany. Juan Pablo Angel scored nine goals in 33 appearances for Colombia and headed an equaliser against Brazil in a 2003 World Cup qualifier. Ronaldo opened the scoring and Kaka later made it 2-1 as Brazil won. Angel recalled feeling in his prime at Aston Villa and described the goal and stadium reaction as a proud memory.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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