Soccer-Corinthians win as Brazil looks anxiously to future

By Andrew Downie SAO PAULO, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Some of Brazilian football's most illustrious names landed their first taste of stardom in the Sao Paulo Juniors Cup -- and many more are hoping to follow them after this year's competition ended with a ninth title win for Corinthians. In recent years, Barcelona's Neymar, Chelsea's Oscar and Paris Saint-Germain pair, Marquinhos and Lucas, have been among those who were blooded in the Copa Sao Paulo de Futebol Junior, as the annual under-20 tournament is formally known in Portuguese. Yet, as Brazil agonises over its footballing future following last year's World Cup debacle, the nation is still unsure about the quality of tomorrow's hopefuls. Indeed, some critics say the standard has never been lower. Especially since the national team were hammered 7-1 by Germany in that numbing World Cup semi-final, Brazilian football has increasingly been accused of being outdated and slow, with too much emphasis on stamina, physicality and results. The level of play in this year's junior tournament was slated by Alvaro Oliveira Filho, a columnist in the Lance! sports newspaper, who warned there were few outstanding youngsters compared to years gone by. "If this SP Juniors Cup is the best parameter for evaluating the quality of Brazilian football in the future, then prepare yourselves," Oliveira Filho wrote in a column last week. "We are going to continue to see terrible games in the coming years." VISIBILITY FOR PLAYERS Not everyone is so gloomy. Edu Gaspar, the former Arsenal player who scored the winning goal for Corinthians in the 1999 final against Vasco da Gama, said the tournament was crucial to his development as a young player and he believes it remains so today. "It's a tournament that brings visibility for players and teams," he told Reuters before Sunday's final at the Pacaembu stadium. "It's very important. It's the biggest exposure possible." The competition is played in January, close season for Brazil's top leagues, and features 104 teams from all over Brazil playing at 16 towns and cities across the state of Sao Paulo. The top 32 teams qualify for the knock-out phase with the finalists facing off on Jan. 25, the anniversary of the foundation of the city of Sao Paulo. For coaches, particularly those outside the big cities, it's a chance to compare themselves with better-known rivals. "The south and southeast (of Brazil) have more money and the exchange between clubs is bigger," Figueirense coach Marcio Coelho said. "The teams from north and northeast are a bit left out and it is an opportunity for the teams outside the states of Rio, Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais to have that exchange." Players such as Chelsea's Filipe Luis and former Arsenal full back Andre Santos started with Figueirense and Coelho uses those examples to encourage today's youngsters. "We try to inspire them using those good examples," he said. With no top flight games as a distraction, the Copa is the only source of live competitive football in January and has grown in popularity. Many of the games are broadcast live on television and 36,000 fans attended Sunday's final to see Corinthians beat Botafogo 1-0. Maycon got the winner when Botafogo goalkeeper Talles Lima let his long-range shot squirm through his hands. Whatever the standard, players are aware this is a chance they might never get again. "We are all conscious of the opportunity the Sao Paulo Juniors Cup represents," said Kaue da Silva, captain of Figueirense, who this year went out at the last 16 phase. "The biggest objective is to get promoted to the first team and if we can't do that, then maybe we'll get seen by a team from abroad or even from Sao Paulo." (Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Ian Chadband)