It was like watching The Notebook all over again at the Bootcamp da Selecao yesterday… romântico, huh?

While doing their ball-control exercises, manos held one another’s hands to prevent themselves from slipping on the wet grass. Check out the Dani Alves/Fabulouso love and Andre Santos’ facial expression. They’re all ready to go to Hollywood… damn the Teresópolis weather! It’s bringing out so much emotion. On a sidenote, we like it when it rains during football. Ok, or maybe not. We once had to throw away our shoes after an interview in the middle of a waterlogged pitch. Then again, it was pretty fun as well!

Via AP and R.Ribeiro

Tudo bem, people?! Welcome to Day 1 of the Selecao bootcamp…. a staple here at Futbolita. And in true spirit, we just did a thorough assessment of the selecao’s arrival at Granja Comary with our Brazilian amiga here, Ana. Gata wants to marry Zagallo but he’s old enough to be her grandfather, so she has now shifted all thoughts to Julio Cesar. On the other hand, Fabulouso is looking sleek in white… he needs to pose for a furniture catalogue agora!

So manos were sent for gym conditioning (to “maintain muscles and detoxification”) ,with Senor Pablo Paixão. This was accompanied by light field training and running exercises. Nilmar is deep in concentration… (while el amigo Lucas is presumably talking about English tea) so do not disturb!

Of course, playing at a high altitude is another issue for selecao. As such, the team’s doctor Jose Luis Runco has confiscated the potato chips from Adriano’s room. “I recommend a light diet for the team – with fruit and carbohydrates. Our position in relation to games at altitude does not change and I hope that FIFA changes it,” he said. “It is advisable to practice the sport at (a suitable) altitude because we run a risk of compromising the life of a human being.”

Added the excited André Santos. : “The secret is to adapt as quickly as possible to play a great game.”

Fotos de R.Ribeiro

So tipos have landed in Chile for their friendly against the national side tomorrow, and immediately checked into Hotel Sofitel Salvador. The substitutes trained at an open area within the hotel while the starting 11 enjoyed some muscle regeneration time with Senor Paixao at the physical therapy pool. Robinho is totally checking out the valet, OK? Lucky for him, he’s been ruled out of the friendly tomorrow which means either Nilmar or Adriano will take his place.

Also, Andre Santos doesn’t look like he can play the Repinique (samba drum) but looks can be deceiving! Everyone is in a great mood after the win on Saturday.

“It was too good! We had a wonderful game, and the team played a very smart in the field with catimba and the whole atmosphere that was created for the game. Congratulations to the team,” said Kaka.

TODAS AS FOTOS POR R. RIBEIRO

So Dunga has finalized his tropa that will face Argentina next month… and Adriano aside, we’re excited to see that our friend Lucas has also been summoned! Grandeeeeee mano!

The Dinho and Pato were both left out of the squad again (Milan’s dismal form has been obviously detrimental to their chances ). Kleberson, who is nursing a shoulder injury, was left out of the squad and his place went to Lucas. Andre Santos has also been called up to replace Marcelo while Deportivo la Coruna’s Luis Filipe earned himself a spot after his performance against Estonia earlier this month.

As for churrascaria chubs, Adriano, his call-up doesn’t come as a surprise given his current status in the Brasileirao. He may have a pot belly, but cara is also the league’s top scorer….so he’d better not be lazy!

Here’s the full squad list for Brazil’s qualifying games against Argentina and Chile (to take place in October).

SQUAD LIST :

GOALKEEPERS : Julio César – Inter, Victor – Grêmio
DEFENDERS : Daniel Alves – Barcelona, André Santos – Fenerbahçe, Maicon – Inter, Filipe Luís – La Coruña, Lúcio – Inter, Juan – Roma, Luisão – Benfica, Miranda – São Paulo
MIDFIELDERS : Felipe Melo – Juventus, Elano – Galatasaray, Gilberto Silva – Panathinaikos, Josué – Wolfsburg, Julio Baptista – Roma, Kaká – Real Madrid, Lucas – Liverpool, Ramires – Benfica
ATTACKERS : Robinho – Manchester City, Adriano – Flamengo, Luis Fabiano – Sevilla, Nilmar – Villarreal

Oh Dani Alves, how could we love him any less? His goal yesterday against South Africa was perfeito! Great vision and a lot of thought put into the set piece. Mano knew he had a 80% chance of the ball curling neatly in – and he struck it like it was 1974!

As for the rest of the game, a lot of credit must be given to the South Africans. Joel Santana – whose English still sucks – obviously knew Dunga’s men better than he did. They were all over the field – attacking, defending and running back to counter. Luis Fabiano and Robinho were well taken care of by their markers. Andre Santos had a few good chances with the ball. Kaka had a bad game, but a few decent shots at goal. And Ramires could’ve passed to his amigos on the left instead of going for personal glory. Never waste the ball cara, especially when you’re getting clamped down like planktons by your opponents. PASSE!

Anyway, Dani’s goal was dedicated to his two children – Daniel and Vitoria. The tattoos on his toned body were of their names… in case you didn’t notice. A great celebration indeed! Now they all need to sit down and enjoy the remnants of Kleberson’s birthday cake. The question is, are you ready for Sunday’s Final against the USA?