Zé Roberto: “Paolo Guerrero is, even today, one of the best forwards in South America” | INTERVIEW

-How do you analyze Peru’s performance against Brazil?

It was a tight match because the coach, Juan Reynoso, put in a defensive formation to stop Brazil’s game. Peru withstood the tie well but in the end, after a lack of concentration, Marquinhos’ goal arrived. I see Peru with a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup even though it hasn’t had a good start against Paraguay and Brazil. He has a good team.

-In recent days there has been debate about the position occupied by Raúl Ruidíaz, measuring 69 meters, covering the near post. Is it normal in soccer for the shortest player to position himself there?

Normally the shortest ones stay at the first post because the tall ones defend individually. I think it was a mistake on the part of the defender who did not follow Marquinhos, knowing that he is a dangerous player on corner kicks. It was a mistake that Peru should not make again.

-What feelings do the first two dates in Peru in the Qualifiers leave you with? Is it enough to dream of qualifying for the World Cup?

I feel that there is a feeling of frustration in the fan because of how everything ended. Against Paraguay it was the game in which he had the best chance of scoring, then it was Brazil at home which is more difficult. But now Peru must find a way not to make the same mistakes in the next matches, look for alternatives in attack because it must stand out more in that aspect. Against Brazil he did not finish on the opposing goal.

-And this new Brazil with Fernando Diniz?

Brazil started the Qualifiers very well. He is looking for a way to play with an interim coach who is taking advantage of his opportunity to be in a team with a lot of quality in all its lines.

-Does the increase in quotas for the World Cup, going from 32 to 48 teams, make the tournament lose its essence?

The issue of increasing the number of selections is, from my point of view, political. But it takes away the essence of the World Cup that always had a way of being played. For me the tournament should be played every four years and with 32 teams. However, in football, unfortunately, the economic part is more important than the fans. Football should belong to the people.

-Why is Neymar not considered an undisputed idol in Brazil?

He is a total idol. People love him a lot for being a simple boy and for his quality. Many idols like Ronaldo or Rivaldo, when they talk about Neymar, always say that they want Neymar to win an important title like them: a world title or a Ballon d’Or. At 31 years old, I feel that he still has time to seek great success in his career. Maybe it will be the 2026 World Cup.

-For many it has been a mistake that Neymar decided to go to Arabia. How can you correct that decision?

I think his decision to go to Arabia was very particular. When you have an offer as big, as important as the one they gave you, it is difficult to say no. But Neymar has the possibility of returning to Europe. He can play for any club because of his talent. It will be up to him to make the best decision from now on.

-Neymar, like Messi, left PSG badly, a club that aspired to much and did little. Why do you think that trident that Mbappé was also in didn’t work?

A team does not depend only on one or two players. The mistake of PSG, of its managers, was that they did not think about making a strong team to which they could add Neymar, Messi and Mbappé. They never thought about the team but about the individuals.

-Is Messi the best player in history?

As a child I was always told about Pelé, but I only saw him through videos. I have three players that I saw, played with or faced: Ronaldo, Zidane and Messi. I think Messi is above the other two because of the way he plays, what he won and the World Cup he won.

-Was Argentina a fair champion of the last World Cup?

Yes, because of the football he showed. The debut against Arabia was not good, but Scaloni made some changes that helped the team. Argentina dominated their rivals and with the genius of Messi, they were a fair champion. The final against France was one of the best games I saw in my life.

-You played in two World Cups: France 98 and Germany 2006. Does it still hurt you not to have been in Korea-Japan 2002 in which Brazil won its last title?

It was a difficult moment that I lived through, I was very sad. I was having the best moment of my career because I had reached the Champions League final with Bayer Leverkusen, then I was signed by Bayern Munich. I thought that because of that, I had a great chance of being called up. But the coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, had worked more in Brazil and decided to bring local players he had worked with. I think that’s why I was left off his list.

-In 2002 when you arrived at Bayern you met two Peruvians: Claudio Pizarro, who was already there, and Paolo Guerrero who also arrived. What do you remember about both?

Claudio surprised me with the way he played, he scored a lot of goals and that’s why he stood out in Germany. He was a special and different player. Paolo had just arrived at that time to play for Bayern’s second team but he stood out very quickly. It has been an honor for me to play with both of them, two great players and better people.

-Do you still have contact with them?

Clear. With Claudio we play together in the team of legends that Bayern has. And we still keep in touch with Paolo because he played for a long time in Brazil and we were close.

-Something similar to what happened to you in 2002 happened to Claudio: he was not called up to a historic World Cup for his team. Do you think it was an injustice for him not to be in Russia 2018?

You have to look at what happened in his time to understand the coach’s decision not to take him even though he was a very experienced player. In a World Cup you have to have youth and experience. If I were the coach of a team that was going to a World Cup after 36 years, I would definitely wear it.

-Why do you think Claudio Pizarro scored few goals in the Peruvian team and in Germany he is one of the historical scorers?

Comparisons must be made of the players he had in his clubs and in the national team. The same thing happened to Messi at a time when he scored many goals with Barcelona but did not repeat it with Argentina. I think it was easier for him to score at Bayern.

-Are you surprised to see Paolo Guerrero, at 39 years old, playing in the Qualifiers?

No, because he was always a warrior, as his last name says. Paolo has gone through difficult times in his career (the doping case, he had three or four major injuries) and he is still playing, being captain at 39 years old. He also faced defenders like Msrquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes who play in the elite of European football and he gave them both a fight, fought face to face and won some balls.

-Do you consider Paolo one of the best forwards in South America?

Yes. Because of the way he plays, he is a different player who, no matter how old he is, remains strong, continues to fight, continues to score goals.

-Why didn’t he succeed in Europe like Claudio?

When he arrived at Bayern Munich he made some youthful mistakes that harmed his career. But he learned a lot from his failures. Today he is a more mature player, there is no doubt about that. He passes on his experience to the younger ones so they don’t make the same mistakes. Life is like that: you make mistakes to grow.