I think what made this result even more colossal, certainly from Brazil's own perspective was this bizarre superiority complex which Brazil and in particular their fans seem to have.
I can understand certain sports teams and their fans having a justifiable superiority complex, as there are some sports teams who are historically way better than all the rest for whatever reason and it is a disaster when they lose a single match or tournament.
The ones which spring to mind would be the USA basketball team and perhaps the New Zealand rugby union team or the Australia rugby league team. Maybe the US athletic team or even their Olympic squad as a whole.
However, some teams seem to have these superiority complexes without any justification whatsoever. The Brazil football team are one - I didn't realise to what extent until watching the build up to this World Cup. I think maybe the India cricket team would be another?
Football at all levels is a very even sport. Anyone can beat anyone and nobody dominates competitions for any length of time. Brazil perhaps were superior for 10-15 years around the time of Pele but they certainly aren't the dominant force in the history of the game that their fans seem to think. Their fans have spoken as if they have some divine right to win this tournament when any rational look at the players would have shown their team/squad to be far inferior to many of the other nations competing.
Where do these misguided superiority complexes come from?
I can understand certain sports teams and their fans having a justifiable superiority complex, as there are some sports teams who are historically way better than all the rest for whatever reason and it is a disaster when they lose a single match or tournament.
The ones which spring to mind would be the USA basketball team and perhaps the New Zealand rugby union team or the Australia rugby league team. Maybe the US athletic team or even their Olympic squad as a whole.
However, some teams seem to have these superiority complexes without any justification whatsoever. The Brazil football team are one - I didn't realise to what extent until watching the build up to this World Cup. I think maybe the India cricket team would be another?
Football at all levels is a very even sport. Anyone can beat anyone and nobody dominates competitions for any length of time. Brazil perhaps were superior for 10-15 years around the time of Pele but they certainly aren't the dominant force in the history of the game that their fans seem to think. Their fans have spoken as if they have some divine right to win this tournament when any rational look at the players would have shown their team/squad to be far inferior to many of the other nations competing.
Where do these misguided superiority complexes come from?