Brazilian multi-starrer can bomb in box office, fears Habib

New Delhi, Jun 11 (UNI) Brazil would hardly sound braggart if they borrow the Metro Goldwyn Mayer boasting of having ''More Stars Than There Are In The Heavens''. But according to player-turned-coach Muhammad Habib, who scored a goal against a certain Pele-starrer Cosmos Club in the 1970s, the same star-system can prove its bane.

''They have a star-studded line-up. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Adriano, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Kaka -- it's a competition among themselves to outshine each other. And it's not for nothing that they are billed as the overwhleming pre-tournament favourites,'' Habib told UNI here.

''And therein lies my apprehensions. They can steamroll any team playng as a cohesive side but if the stars play like selfish players, which you often see, things can go horribly wrong for Brazil. I'm not going to bet on them till they move into the knock-out stage. Actually you get a better picture of the thing after a preliminary stage,'' he said.

And Habib is no alien to Brazil football.

When Pele arrived in Kolkata in 1977 with a star-spangled Cosmos, Mohun Bagan held the New York club to a 2-2 draw at Eden Gardens with Habib, apart from Shyam Thapa, finding the net which prompted the Brazilian legend to praise the young striker.

''That is perhaps the most memorable moment of my life. And it was not Pele alone, the team had Brazil's World Cup winning captain Alberto as well. After the match, a dinner was thrown for all of us and he came and said me 'You really played well'. Coming from someone like Pele, it was very flattering,'' reminisced the Arjuna awardee.

Habib warned Brazil against over-reliance on the star players and said Carlos Alberto Parreira's side would have to play well as a unit to justify their billing.

''Of course individual brilliance can turn a match on its head any time but it's competition at the highest level and it can be fatal to rely only on the star players to do the trick for the side.

They have just too many stars, something I'm not very comfortable with ,'' Habib explained.

''They have an outstanding forwardline and an impressive half backs but the defence is always a suspect. People just can't stop talking about Ronaldinho -- he is a master act. But his physique is something I'm not very sure about. Let's see how he fares.'' Habib, a successful coach after hanging up his soccer boots, also felt that ageing stars like Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Ronaldo and Luis Figo would come up with their best in what seems their swansong appearance in the Cup.

''I think they would be in the run for the Golden Boot. You always want to sign off on a high note. I'm expecting their best in this World Cup.'' Habib felt England, even with an injured Wayne Roony, stand their best chance of laying fingers on the cup after a four-decade drought, while hoem advantage tilts the balance in favour of Germany.

''Germany won't let the home advantage go abegging. They are a side you can never take for granted, while England looks compact from all aspects. english players are in good nick and have been playing in the Premier League,'' he added.

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