The 20-year-old star midfielder for Santos, Paulo Henrique Ganso explained on Sunday the reasons behind his disappointment from being left off Dunga' s list of 23 players to represent Brazil in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The athlete was a heavy favorite of the Brazilian population to enter exclusive list of athletes to travel to Africa. Apart from Ganso, his teammate at Santos, Neymar, was also a fan favorite and expected to be part of Dunga's list of 23.
"I began to dream of the World Cup. I dreamt that I scored a goal while on the field. I don' t know if it was in the finals of the World Cup, but I was wearing the Brazilian national jersey," described Ganso.
During the news conference on May 11 when Dunga defended his list of 23, the head coach of the Brazilian national team stated that Ganso was left off the list due to his lack of experience. The coach added that the midfielder was merely a reserve player on the Under-20 national team.
"Dunga said I was a reserve player on the Under-20 national team, but he is wrong. I was a starter in every single game. However, I think that since we did not win the World Cup title in Egypt in 2009 our team left a negative impression. Everyone was saying that Neymar and I were going to play in the World Cup. We began to create our own expectations. The Brazilian population, the media, friends and family were constantly saying that we were going to South Africa. It's a pity that we're not going. But, our time will come. I am certain of that," said Ganso.
Despite his frustration and deception, Ganso feels a sense of tranquility due to the fact that he is part of the seven reserve players on the Brazilian national team. The young star hopes to get a chance to play in the upcoming World Cup, but the only way that he will get that chance is if one of Dunga' s eight midfielders on the current national team suffers an injury.