Sensei vs selecao: Zico’s Japan dream comes full circle against Brazil at the FIFA World Cup

There used to be a popular saying in Brazil: “Zico did not win a World Cup. Well, too bad for the World Cup.”“If I’m considered the king of football, then without doubt, the prince is Zico,” Pele had once said.Yet, Zico, much-feted and loved at home, left Brazil in 1991 on a journey to the farthest corner of the globe. The Land of the Rising Sun was seeking a master to show its football philosophy and project the right guidance. Zico’s influence invigorated Japanese football, helping set the country on the path to its maiden World Cup appearance in 1998. They have never missed the tournament since.

The Blue Samurai’s winner-takes-all Round of 32 clash against Brazil in Houston on Monday, assumes an added dimension as Zico, the sensei of Japanese football, issues a stern warning for the Selecao.

The Brazilian great, widely regarded as a pioneer of football in the Asian nation, could be excused for divided loyalties. So too could the 2.5 million Brazilians of Japanese ancestry. “I’ll be supporting Brazil. After all, I am Brazilian,” Zico told FIFA, after the match-ups were drawn.

“But if Japan wins, so be it.”The match will be only the second meeting between Brazil and Japan at a World Cup. Their only previous encounter came 20 years ago, on the final matchday of the 2006 group stage in Germany.

Brazil ran out 4-1 winners and the man in charge of Japan was none other than Zico himself.“Japan is at a more competitive level now. Of their 26 players at the World Cup, 23 play in Europe,” Zico noted, “Of the three who play at home, two are goalkeepers and the other is Yuto Nagatomo. He’s there more as a leader and experienced figure within the squad. It’s his fifth World Cup.”Brazil is home to the largest population of people of Japanese descent outside of Japan.

Together with Zico’s enduring bond with the country, that demographic link adds a unique historical flavour every time the Blues meet the Yellows.After successful spells with Flamengo, Udinese, and Brazil, Zico came out of retirement to play for Sumitomo Metal — later renamed as the exotic sounding and wildly popular Kashima Antlers — from 1991 to 1994, helping shape Japan’s fledgling professional game. He later managed Kashima in the J-League and now serves as a technical adviser at the club.

Kashima Antlers even erected a statue to Zico, commemorating his contribution to Japanese football as a teacher.

At the Maracana, he is celebrated as a player — the conjuror of beautiful evenings for Flamengo and the Selecao. They still chant his name most lovingly, even when Germany play a young France, as happened at the 2014 World Cup. Zico also coached Japan from 2002 to 2006, winning the 2004 Asian Cup and guiding them to the 2006 World Cup.Japan’s progress on the world stage has been steady ever since. At each of the last two World Cups they reached the knockout stage but fell short of thequarterfinals. On both occasions, their elimination denied the football world a long-awaited meeting with Brazil in the next round.Back in 2022, they stunned perennial powerhouses Germany, coached by Joachim Loew, and Spain, managed by Luis Enrique, in the group stage.

Now, the occasion presents the student with an opportunity to push the mentor to his limits.Not that the two nations are strangers on the international stage. As recently as October 2025, Japan earned their firstever victory over Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil, albeit in a friendly.It was still early days for Ancelotti, who had inherited a disjointed side, but the scar will not be forgotten easily. “Perhaps ... they will be even more motivated,” Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said. “We will be playing against a Brazil side that is very keen to win.”On Monday, the circle will be complete. The teacher who helped shape modern Japanese football will watch as his finest pupils attempt to show that they had learned from the best.