Dunga and his great record at CONMEBOL Copa América™

 

• The former midfielder won two of the three tournaments he played on the pitch for Brazil: 1989 and 1997. 
• In his first tournament as a coach, he helped Brazil become champions during Venezuela 2007.  

Dunga was a true emblem of the Selecao: during the 1990s, as a player, he won the FIFA World Cup and reached the top of the podium at the CONMEBOL Copa América™. In the decade that followed, he added something few could: he lifted the world’s oldest national team trophy as a coach, a rare feat among the thousands who have participated in the competition. 

Dunga had already made history for Brazil. During the 1989™ CONMEBOL Copa América, the team then coached by Sebastião Lazaroni had Dunga as a player. He was still in his first year at Fiorentina (Italy), and one of Brazil’s absolute starters along with names such as Romario, Valdo, Bebeto and Mauro Galvão. He played 6 of the 7 matches en-route to the title, which would end Brazil’s 40-year drought without winning the continental tournament.

 

 

After missing the 1991 and 1993 editions, Dunga returned to the national team under Carlos Alberto Parreira and had the honor of captaining Brazil at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Dunga led a memorable team and converted the final penalty in the final against Italy, which won Brazil’s fourth World Cup title.

A year later, the then-captain of the national team converted a penalty again in a final, but it was not enough to prevent Uruguay from winning that year’s CONMEBOL Copa América™. Two years later, under the command of Mário Jorge Zagallo, he had a dream campaign, winning every match and retaking the top spot on the podium. In 1997, Dunga not only became a South American champion as a player for the second time, but he also scored his first and only goal in the CONMEBOL Copa América™: it was in the match against Colombia, in the group stage, with a free kick that paved the way for a 2-0 victory.

In 1998, Dunga continued as captain and as a starter in the midfield, but the national team saw their chance for a fifth world title postponed in the final against France. It was the last of his 91 caps for the national team before his retirement in 2000. The native of Ijuí (Rio Grande do Sul) returned to the national team in 2006, when he was called up to take charge of Brazil’s first team. 

 

 

The 2007™ CONMEBOL Copa América was the first big test on Dunga’s path as a manager. The Brazilian national team debuted with a loss to Mexico (2-0) but beat Chile (3-0) and Ecuador (1-0) in the group stage to guarantee a place in the knockout rounds in Venezuela. In the final stretch, the Brazilians overcame Chile (for the second time), Uruguay and Argentina to regain champion status on the continent. In addition, Dunga would become the fourth champion of the Americas as a player and coach, equaling the feats of Alfredo Foglino, Pedro Cea and Danilo Alvim.

Later, the national team coach would win the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 and lead the national team to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He also participated, as coach of Brazil, during the 2015 CONMEBOL Copa América™ (in Chile) and 2016 (in the United States).