Brazil's Julio Cesar thanks former QPR teammate for World Cup place

Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar thanks Ryan Nelsen for World Cup place


Freddie Shires
Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar has credited former Queens Park Rangers teammate Ryan Nelsen with helping him secure his place at the World Cup.

Brazil’s first-choice goalkeeper Julio Cesar says he has former Queens Park Rangers teammate Ryan Nelsen to thank for helping him secure his place at the World Cup this summer.

QPR were relegated from the Premier League following Cesar’s first season in London, with an ensuing contract dispute with the club seeing the former Inter Milan star dropped from the side for the 2013-14 campaign and even forced to train secretly in the park with his 11-year-old son.

His tournament in jeopardy whilst benched, the keeper was eventually convinced by Nelsen to join MLS side Toronto FC on loan in February, with the ex-defender having left QPR last year to become manager of the Canadian club.

The regular playing time securing a place in coach Luiz Felipe Scolari’s lineup, Cesar moved to thank both Nelsen and the team, having seen his career in a dire situation only a few months prior.

‘It was a complicated moment because I wasn’t playing for my club because of contractual problems,’ he told KickTV. ‘I’d have to go to the park by myself. I even bought some goalkeeper gloves because I didn’t want my team to know about it.






‘Then Toronto was something that happened out of nowhere. Overnight. After talking with a friend who had made that leap, I said “Why not?”

‘I really do have to thank Ryan Nelsen so much for this opportunity that he gave me. He said, “Come here and I’ll help you and you will be ready to play in the World Cup.”

‘I’m so thankful for what they’ve done for me because if I hadn’t been playing it would’ve been hard to play in the World Cup.’

Widely considered one of the world’s top shot-stoppers during his seven seasons at Inter, Cesar won five Serie A titles and the 2009-10 Champions League with the Italian giants between 2005 and 2012, before departing for QPR following the arrival of Samir Handanovic.

With 83 caps for Brazil since making his debut in 2004, the 35-year-old is starting in his second consecutive World Cup for the Selecao, after being third choice in 2006, but an error which ultimately cost the side their 2010 quarter-final against the Netherlands saw him consider quitting the national team, having been made a scapegoat back home for the side’s failure.

SEE ALSO: Liverpool legend wouldn't swap Robben for any other World Cup player

Dropped by previous manager Mano Menezes in the years following, after the event seemingly caused his form to nosedive, suggestions that Scolari is too loyal to the veteran leader have persisted in the run-up to the tournament, though even those making such claims can’t deny his battle back has been commendable.

While Cesar has looked somewhat shaky at times during Brazil’s first three games, if he were to pull off some heroics during the host nation’s run to a historic sixth title this summer then it would prove a fantastic retribution story for one of the game’s goalkeeping legends.

 

"Contract dispute"? So he wanted more money than he deserved to sit doing nothing, or he wanted to play because he was Brazil's #1 and not because he was our best keeper?

He only moved because he slowly realised that sitting on his arse raking in 70k a week wasn't going to get him to the world cup.

 

It should have been "Brazil's Julio Cesar thanks QPR for the money"

 

I was talking to Nelsen just before the Playoff final and he said bringing PL and other high profile players over is part of the reason why they hired him. He said MLS Chairmen are very keen to get European "stars" to their Clubs because the game over there is largely based around adverstisement and marketing and they're obviously able to boost the Club's profile and in the long run end up making money off the back of these foreign players. Plus, a lot of their Clubs are owned by super rich people.

Hopefully we'll be able to shift Cesar before the season starts.

 

He got what he wanted. Doesn't need a move now. He can afford (both professionally and financially) to sit back at leisure and just count the money.

 

A rather sorry story in which no one comes out looking great with the possible exception of Nelsen.

 

Nelsen? The traitor that left us in the lurch. Shame on you Swords for speaking to him

 

Why was he training in the park?

 

C'mon then Swordsie spill the beans, how, where, when, why?

You old name dropper!!!!

 

Didn't know Swords was in Canada for the play-off final.

 

I know out in the wilds of Kerry its not heard of yet but up here in the land of civilisation there's an invention known as the Telephone. It means you can speak to someone, even in a different Country, without moving from your spot.

Ask the Healy-Raes if they'll get a couple of them installed for yis down there

 

whats his number swords
pm me
you can trust me not to pass it on