On Valentine’s Day of this year, 34-year old goalkeeper Julio Cesar signed with Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC after a season and a half of lacklustre, loveless football for Queen’s Park Rangers.
During his time with QPR, Cesar experienced the heartbreak of relegation and the distress of being frozen out of the QPR starting XI by Harry Redknapp. After losing his job to English goalkeeper Robert Green, the former Inter treble winner looked to be another on a long list of ex-high profile footballers to go into semi-retirement in North America, courtesy of Toronto. While Cesar’s career with QPR may have fizzled at the time, he continued to show strong signs of life with the Brazilian national team.
His move to Canada allowed him regular football after starting a mere one match for the Hoops in 2013/14. Despite a lack of first team football, his move to Toronto reinforced Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari belief in Cesar. It also reinforced Scolari’s belief that Cesar had another major international football tournament in him even if the public didn’t.
In Cesar’s defence or possibly his detriment, Brazil have few goalkeepers of his standards at this time. Therefore, it wasn’t completely shocking when Scolari selected the current Toronto man as his No. 1 ahead of Botafogo’s Jefferson and Atletico Mineiro’s Victor for the World Cup.
If there was any doubt to Scolari’s decision, he has been proved correct in the last three weeks. Last Saturday Cesar’s selection paid off in the form of his heroics in the round of 16 penalty shootout against Chile. Cesar saved two of Chile’s penalty attempts from Mauricio Pinilla and Alexis Sanchez respectively, before Gonzalo Jara slammed his shot off of the post. Cesar’s brilliance pushed Brazil into the quarter-finals and their South American rivals back across the Andes.
“Only God and my family can know what I went through and what I’m going through today, it went well but they gave me a lot of strength,” Cesar explained after Brazil’s penalty shootout win.
“I was crying in desperation four years ago, but now I cry tears of joy.
“Now there are lots of games left to play, but we dream of celebrating.”
Scolari’s trust in Cesar will now lead the Brazilians into a quarter-final showdown with the fashionable team of the minute Colombia. Brazil have struggled at times in their World Cup fixtures thus far despite being undefeated and notching eight goals. They haven’t been the juggernaut many expected, and playing in front of their home crowds, it’s nearly impossible for the Selecao to live up to the vaunted expectations thrust upon them.
While the team are far from the Samba-style Brazil that everyone pines for, the defence is still typically Brazilian. The full-backs bomb forward while the centre-backs marshal the attack with the help of Luiz Gustavo and company. Of course three goals conceded is a fantastic number. However, the back four have looked suspect on more than one occasion. Just re-watch Marcelo’s comedic own goal against Croatia for reminding.
Cesar’s experience and leadership has kept the defence strong in front of him as he has only needed to make 16 saves in Brazil’s four matches. That number may rise considerably on Friday. The former Inter goalkeeper who won two Serie A Migliore portiere and one UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year awards, still has a lot left as he enters the golden years of a goalkeeper’s life. This summer’s World Cup could be the catalyst to a move back to Europe and one last run with a top European club.
Follow Drew Farmer on Twitter @CalcioFarmer.
