“They don’t care about the beautiful game. They don’t care about the elegance of football. In my time, we used to think and give a little show.”The words of arguably the greatest player of all time, Pele, back in 2014 before the World Cup in Brazil, which Germany won, say it all about the state of the world’s most popular game.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThat tournament was a watershed moment for Brazil: it was meant to showcase the individual talents of the likes of Neymar, Oscar and Hulk in front of a global audience.Instead, Brazil were humiliated in the semifinals 7-1 by a ruthlessly efficient German side, a defeat that still haunts the nation to this day.Germany’s success was the perfect example of how hard-running, athletic teams that followed a strict tactical game plan were the dominant force in football, rather than teams full of individual brilliance, playing off the cuff and aspiring to entertain and win. Teammates hoist Pele, centre, on their shoulders after Brazil won the World Cup, defeating Italy 4-1, in Mexico City on June 21, 1970 [AP Photo]Pele’s team that won the 1970 championship in Mexico is considered by many football historians to be the last great side to win a World Cup, exemplifying the “beautiful game”.Four years later, at the World Cup in West Germany, Brazil were overtaken tactically by other sides like the Netherlands and their mantra of “total football”.The year 1974 became …
