Kuala lumpur: Former Brazil international Gilberto Silva has praised the new generation of Brazilian players, highlighting their quality and potential as the Selecao squad prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 2002 World Cup winner expressed confidence that the squad would continue to improve and maintain focus in the months leading up to the 2026 edition.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Silva emphasized the strength of the current Brazilian team, noting that many of the players are performing in top European clubs. "We have a very good generation of players. When you see them, especially those in the national team, most of them are playing in Europe, in the best clubs around the world. And why are they there? Because they have quality. They are doing well," Silva stated during a media meet-and-greet session.
Silva expressed his hopes for the team to strengthen and focus in the remaining months before the World Cup. He remarked, "I hope that for the remaining months before the World Cup starts, they can become stronger and even more focused to play another World Cup for the country, to represent us in the best way possible and do the best they can. I think this is what we want from them." He also expressed a desire for Brazil to win the trophy again.
Brazil holds the record for the most FIFA World Cup victories, having won five times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. The FIFA World Cup trophy was recently unveiled at Sunway Pyramid, where Silva, along with national football legend Datuk Santokh Singh and local rapper Muhammad Hairi Hamdan, also known as MK, presented the trophy to hundreds of football fans.
Earlier, the trophy arrived in Malaysia as part of a global tour covering 75 stops, with a formal ceremony at the Skypark Regional Aviation Centre in Shah Alam. The event included a traditional local dance performance and was attended by Selman Careaga, President of ASEAN and South Pacific Operating Unit of The Coca-Cola Company, and Youth and Sports Ministry secretary general Datuk Ts Dr Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu.
This is the first time since 2014 that the trophy has returned to Malaysia. The tour is expected to continue to South Korea and Japan. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will feature 48 teams for the first time, is scheduled to take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.