‘The memory that never leaves me is the final whistle against Germany as we won the World Cup. I was running round with the Brazilian flag wrapped around me and looking to the sky’ Denilson opens up on his career highlight

When Denilson made his Brazil debut as a 19-year-old against Cameroon in November 1996, the hype regarding the Diadema-born winger was in full swing.

Brimming with creativity and technical ability, Denilson’s early games for the Selecao saw him help his side win the 1997 Copa America and Confederations Cup and play in every game of the team’s run to the 1998 World Cup final in France.

A world record £21.5million transfer from Sao Paulo to Real Betis followed that summer and after a slow start in La Liga, he would eventually find himself back in the international picture by 2001.

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“That summer, I went home expecting a quiet holiday – out of nowhere though, I was called up for Brazil again for the first time in more than a year,” Denilson tells FourFourTwo. “I couldn’t believe it. Playing in the second tier, the last thing that I expected was a Selecao call-up.

“But Luiz Felipe Scolari had taken over – he phoned me, said he had been watching me and selected me for the 2001 Copa America. That was when the joyful, playful Denilson returned.”

With his tail up again, Denilson kept his place in the national team squad for the following summer’s World Cup.

“The cherry on top came in 2002 – the World Cup in Japan and South Korea,” he continues. “Four years before that, I’d sweated over whether I’d make the final squad. In 2002 I was certain. Older, more mature, more respected. If in 1998 I was still the kid, by 2002 that role belonged to Kaka.”

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Defending champions France and Argentina, who had completed a stunning qualification campaign under Marcelo Bielsa, headed to Asia as favourites to win the tournament, but Brazil began quickly, winning all three group games and seeing off Belgium, England and Turkey in the knockout stages to secure a place in the final against Germany.

“The memory that never leaves me is the final whistle against Germany, as we won the final in Yokohama,” Denilson continues. “I was running round with the Brazilian flag wrapped around me and looking to the sky, thanking God.

“After all the difficult times I’d been through, to be there as a World Cup winner was overwhelming.”

For Denilson, becoming a world champion is not something that will live with him forever.

“Winning that trophy leaves a legacy,” he adds. “Long after I’m gone, people will know what I achieved. Football introduced me to the world. It let me step into homes across the globe with the ball at my feet.

“Leaving the title of world champion for my family is the greatest honour.”