Brazil has already faced a team made up of a firefighter and an office boy; remember

There is little left for the Brazilian team to debut in the 2026 World Cup, but before that, Canarinho will face Egypt this Saturday (6) in the last test for the World Cup.

Almost 30 years ago, in 1998, the team that arrived as five-time champion in France, faced the Andorra team full of curiosities and with a firefighter, office boy and worker in the squad for the last pre-World Cup match.

One of the most curious examples was defender Francisco Ramirez, who divided his time between the pitch and fighting fires. Striker José Julián Lucendo worked as a sales representative and was considered the team's main technical reference.

Other athletes, such as defenders Angel Martin and Ildefonso Lima, prioritized studies, as they did not see football as a financially viable career. The reality of the Andorra team contrasted drastically with that of the Brazilian team, then full of stars preparing to compete in the 2002 World Cup.

The disparity also appeared outside the four lines. At the time, the Andorran federation operated with an annual budget of approximately US$450,000, an amount lower than the monthly salary of Ronaldo Fenômeno, who played for Inter Milan.

With just 65 thousand inhabitants, the country had an extremely small recruitment base to form its national team.

The friendly was organized at the invitation of the CBF and served as the last test for the team led by Zagallo before their World Cup debut against Scotland. The promotion of the match reflected the simplicity of the Andorran structure: a handmade poster was placed at the entrance to the Red Star stadium, in Paris, announcing the duel against the Brazilian stars.

Brazil won 3-0, with goals from Giovanni, Rivaldo and Cafu. Zagallo selected as starter: Taffarel, Cafu, Aldair, Júnior Baiano and Roberto Carlos; César Sampaio, Dunga, Giovanni and Rivaldo; Bebeto and Ronaldo.

During the match, Carlos Germano, André Cruz, Zé Roberto, Doriva, Leonardo and Denílson entered.

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Source: CNN