Man, sometimes you just need to settle a score. That’s how this whole thing started. I was sitting around last weekend, watching some old clips of the 2010 World Cup, and my friend, Mike, he starts going on about how Dunga totally messed up that Brazil squad. He insisted that Adriano was definitely there. I disagreed immediately, but then I started second-guessing myself. It became one of those late-night arguments where neither of us would back down, so I had to pull out the definitive proof.
My goal wasn’t just to Google “Brazil 2010 squad.” Anyone can do that. I needed to document the selection process and verify the exact 23 names that Dunga, the coach, officially announced back in May 2010. I wanted the original history, not just some Wikipedia summation.
The Initial Search and Filtering the Noise
I immediately fired up my machine. My first step was trying to locate contemporaneous news reports. Modern aggregate sites are fast, but they often mix in reserve lists or injury replacements, which muddies the water. I actively avoided any list that didn’t specify the exact date of Dunga’s official announcement.
I spent a good hour just wading through archived sports pages. This required shifting my search criteria to focus on specific dates—I knew the announcement happened around May 11, 2010. I managed to pull up four different major news outlets from that era that carried the full article detailing the roster announcement. This was crucial, because if four reliable sources from the actual time period agreed, I had my verification.
I dumped all the player names from these four sources into a quick spreadsheet. Yeah, I use spreadsheets for everything, even tracking old football rosters. It helps me visualize differences quickly. The initial compilation yielded about 28 distinct names, because a couple of reports mentioned standby players who weren’t actually part of the final 23-man traveling roster mandated by FIFA.
Verifying the Controversial Absentees
The biggest part of the ‘practice’ here wasn’t just listing the 23 players who went, but confirming the high-profile names Dunga purposefully left off. Mike was insistent about Adriano, and others always bring up Ronaldinho or even Alexandre Pato. I had to ensure my final list was clean and had no room for interpretation.
I systematically scrubbed the names that appeared in the news reports but were explicitly listed as “excluded” or “standby.” For example, Ganso and Ronaldinho were massive topics of discussion at the time, but they absolutely did not make the final 23. This is where cross-referencing really paid off. Three of the four news reports specifically addressed the omission of Ronaldinho, confirming he was not selected.
Once I had consolidated the names that appeared across all four confirmed 2010 articles, the list shrunk down cleanly to 23. I then categorized them by position, just to be thorough and ensure the balance (three keepers, eight defenders, six midfielders, six forwards—the standard Dunga breakdown).
The Finalized, Confirmed Roster: Dunga’s 23
After all that digging and cross-checking, I finally had the definitive record. My practice was complete. I printed the list out and stuck it right on my fridge for when Mike comes over next time. No arguments, just facts, straight from the source. It was a solid 23, controversial or not. Here’s how that list shook out:
- Goalkeepers (3):
- Júlio César
- Gomes
- Doni
- Defenders (8):
- Maicon
- Daniel Alves
- Michel Bastos
- Gilberto
- Lúcio (Captain)
- Juan
- Thiago Silva
- Luisão
- Midfielders (6):
- Gilberto Silva
- Felipe Melo
- Ramires
- Elano
- Kaká
- Júlio Baptista
- Forwards (6):
- Robinho
- Luís Fabiano
- Nilmar
- Grafitet
- Josué
- Kléberson
It’s interesting looking back at that squad. Dunga went for stability and discipline over flair, and that’s what drove everyone nuts then, and still drives Mike nuts now. But hey, it was his decision, and now I have the indisputable proof of exactly who he chose. Sometimes the simplest research tasks, done thoroughly, end up yielding the most satisfying results. Now to plan the next silly football history debate I need to win!