Brazil are the best even if they don't win this year the soccer world cup. I'm also not native, but clearly understood your message.
Let's analyse Brasil. The key for Brazil is to have so many young players that have a dream of football success. It's like a culture tradition, like Sumo in Japan. Brazil would loose 11-0 in Sumo. Brazil is somehow a "factory" of talented football players. Argentina is like Brazil. Some european countries also have this tradition and here money also plays an important role. It might happen that Japan will have some good results and a good football promotion that will build tradition, so that in the next 20 years Japan will be at the top. Sometimes a thing called "luck" is important (goood results might happen suddenly and things will just flow fast).
i guess your referring to "soccer" because the NFL drafts and takes anyone from anywhere in the world.
What makes a National Team better is Team work. In many countries they have one or two superstars who cannot take their team to the last four while team like Brazil and France have players who are all equally good and that translate to team-work.
Japan too has improved alot. But East Asians have very little chance of making it to the last four because physical advantage of the Westerners play a big role in over all team work as well. May be Argentina had Maradona who was quite short but most of his team mates were not.
Yes! Team work is essential. Look at Uragay. They havn't made it to the world cup.
Another thing I'd have to say about what makes a national team so good is the Head Coach. I'm Australian and I've seen my national team work their butts off to make it to the World Cup Finals. The players' got the goods - Kewell, Viduka - but we didn't have an experienced national coach. We didn't make it to the 2002 World Cup Final because of that. Because Aus kept on having possesion of the ball but very slow to attack. It was only until recently we hired Gus Hiddink as our national coach. He was South Korea's national coach in the 2002 World Cup and they came forth. Now, thanks to him, I'm seeing a much better attacking team and we're in the World Cup Finals! Olay!
