1998 World Cup winner didn't hold back on eliminated Brazil: "Watching this Brazil makes me want to vomit"
1998 champion with France, Djorkaeff used harsh words after Brazil's elimination at the 2026 World Cup. Neymar was the only one spared from the criticism.
Brazil are out of the 2026 World Cup — and the world wasted no time in taking notice. Youri Djorkaeff, 1998 World Cup winner with France and a FIFA ambassador at this tournament, appeared on RMC Radio's "After Foot" programme and pulled absolutely no punches.
"Watching this Brazil makes me want to vomit," the former striker fired, according to ge.
Djorkaeff used the side managed by Carlo Ancelotti as a symbol of a much bigger problem: the decline of technical quality in modern football. "There are no more technical players," he said, arguing that clubs need to give young players more freedom to express themselves.
But his harshest blow came when the conversation turned to Brazil's attacking creativity. According to Djorkaeff, it was Neymar — 34 years old and having barely featured for the national team in recent years — who created the only dangerous moments in the final minutes against Norway. "Where are the technical Brazilians? Don't come selling me Paquetá or whoever. This is an absurdity," the Frenchman said.
Golmetria's model had already flagged a fragile Brazil heading into this tournament: the team ended their campaign with zero probability of reaching the quarter-finals, while France remain alive with a 13.3% chance of lifting the title. On the market, the French carry an implied probability of 17.86% of winning the trophy — Brazil, already eliminated, fell by the wayside before a single knockout match.
Djorkaeff's words will sting for a while. But the question that lingers is more urgent than any criticism: where is the technically gifted Brazil the world once admired — and when is it coming back?