Fred reveals secret weapon behind his bid for glory with Brazil

When it comes to that 2002 vintage, Fred was awe-struck by the talent on show for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side, who beat Germany 2-0 in the final in Yokohama.

“Yeah, of course,” Fred replied, when asked if they were his heroes. “I remember everyone, so good. Today, I work with Gilberto Silva. He’s my agent and one guy who won the World Cup, so I talk a lot with him to know, because if you win the World Cup, you know about this.

“So I talk a lot with him, but I remember, of course, Ronaldo scored in the final. I remember it. Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, there were a lot of players so, Roberto Carlos, Cafu. So I have a lot of heroes from that World Cup.”