Brazil chases elusive gold medal

China Daily | Updated: 2012-04-03 08:26

Brazil chases elusive gold medal
Brazil's Neymar (right) celebrates with teammate Alexandre Pato after he scored his team's fourth goal against Ecuador during the first round of the Copa America tournament in Cordoba last July. Brazil has won the World Cup a record five times and taken home world titles at every age level and discipline, from under-17 to beach soccer to the indoor game, but one title remains elusive: the Olympic gold. "I think that since Brazil has always won the World Cup, the Copa America, the Confederations Cup, you end up having a certain self-confidence," said Athirson, a former Flamengo and Juventus fullback. "You think you can go out there and win, but things have changed." Enrique Marcarian / Reuters

Olympic glory still eludes the world's most famous national side for a variety of reasons, but the South Americans hope to correct that in London

Brazil has won the World Cup a record five times and taken home world titles at every age level and discipline, from under-17 to beach soccer to indoor. But one title remains elusive for this soccer-crazed nation: the Olympic gold. For decades, the men in the famous canary-coloured shirts have tried in vain to get that monkey off their backs and the latest generation charged with the task knows the enormity of what lies ahead in London this year.

"Brazilian football is known throughout the world and to never have won the Olympic gold is always in our heads and it is our dream to do that and go down in history," said goalkeeper Rafael Cabral.