The frenzy for the World Cup is starting to beat strongly in Mexico. After the reopening of the Estadio Azteca, Mexicans have begun to wrap themselves in the World Cup mantle despite the remodeling works that suffocate public transport and some roads in the Mexican capital. This Sunday, in the greatest temple of world football, there will be a friendly match between the legends of Brazil against those of Mexico (5:00 p.m.), a tribute to football itself and to the illustrious careers of the players. The feet that attract the most are those of Ronaldinho, the quintessential representative of jogo bonito, who even in retirement is capable of humiliating anyone who dares to take the ball from him.
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On the Mexican side will be Rafael Márquez, current assistant of the Mexican national team; Andrés Guardado, recently retired; Jared Borgetti, one of the best Mexican goal scorers; Oribe Peralta, the footballer who won the gold medal at the Olympic Games with goals; Cuauhtémoc Blanco, turned politician, Carlos Salcido, the left back who broke through at PSV Eindhoven, and Pável Pardo, América star and champion at Stuttgart. They are joined by goalkeepers Oswaldo Sánchez and Jesús Corona. The list is completed by Braulio Luna, Francisco Palencia, Ricardo Osorio, Luis Roberto Alves, Ramón Morales, Gerardo Torrado, Francisco Maza Rodríguez, Antonio Naelson, Luis Hernández, Adolfo Bautista, and Miguel Layún. All will be coached by Miguel Piojo Herrera, former national team coach.
The Brazilian roster is well led by football’s most sincere smile, Ronaldinho. The great Brazilian footballer is also enjoying these days having premiered a docuseries about his life on Netflix. The one who wore number 10 at Barcelona returns to Estadio Azteca 11 years after the stands surrendered to him by scoring two goals, humiliating his América rivals, and having fun on the field wearing Querétaro’s uniform. It was a brief tribute to the magic that Pelé also left in 1970.
Among the called-up Brazilians are also Adriano, the footballer who decided to be happy in the favelas; Marcelo, multi-champion with Real Madrid; Kaká, AC Milan star; Edmilson, Champions League winner with Barcelona; Lúcio, Brazilian defender who stood out at Inter and Bayern Munich; and Julio César, historic Inter goalkeeper who had to face the 7-0 thrashing against Germany in the 2014 World Cup.
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During this World Cup year, two other matches of football greats were organized. Last January, the Mexican legends team played against the FIFA legends at Monterrey Stadium, with a win for the locals. On that occasion, the field had to be shortened to make the game more fluid. A few days later, in Morelia, the celebrities of the now-defunct Monarcas played against Rafa Márquez and other former Barcelona players. In early March, in Guadalajara, the legendary Barcelona team played against their Real Madrid counterparts on the Chivas field.
The legends match is the fourth test that the renovated Estadio Azteca will have. The venue was reopened on March 28 with a friendly between Mexico and Portugal that was almost full in the stands, although with cranes and no parking. Then came an América-Cruz Azul, one of Mexico City’s classics, on April 11 with more gaps in the stands and a charge of more than 1,000 pesos for fans who wanted a place to park their car. The most recent activity at the stadium was an América-Nashville match, a CONCACAF Champions League game, with fewer fans as it was played on a Tuesday night.