By . Matt Lawton . Follow @@Matt_Lawton_DM . And so, after a quick blast of Jennifer Lopez at this evening’s opening ceremony, it begins. A tournament that has been seven problematic years in the making, for a Brazilian team tasked with winning the hearts of a disillusioned nation on a journey that will take them to every corner of this vast country. For the people of Brazil who will do their best to put their political issues to one side over the next four weeks, their hopes rest on the shoulders of two men. Scroll down for video... Brazil coach Luis Felipe Scolari and Neymar share a joke ahead of their opening game against Croatia . Light-hearted: Scolari and Neymar put on a relaxed front ahead of the opening match of the World Cup . Please allow me to introduce to you... Neymar carries the weight of Brazil's expectations on his shoulders . Feeling confident: Luis Felipe Scolari has proclaimed the time has arrived... 'This is our World Cup' On Luiz Felipe Scolari, the manager . who guided their national team to World Cup glory in 2002 and has . restored belief in a team who were stumbling towards failure before his . return. And a young boy from the region of this huge, bustling, bonkers . metropolis. Another son of Santos who dares to walk in the mercurial . footsteps of Pele. Neymar . joined Scolari on stage at last night’s press conference and if their . performance provided any indication of what is to follow, we are in for . some wonderful theatre. Scolari’s . opening speech was Churchillian. ‘To all Brazilians I want to say the . time has arrived,’ he declared. ‘This is our World Cup.’ Neymar picked up the theme. ‘We want to fulfil the dreams of all Brazilians, which is to win the World Cup.’ Poster boy: Neymar is ready to fulfill his Brazilian countrymen's dreams of winning the World Cup . Under the spotlight: All eyes will be on the 22-year-old Barcelona forward when the tournament begins . Never . has a Brazilian player gone into a World Cup in the position Neymar . finds himself this evening. ‘Look at the 2002 team,’ said Rodrigo . Mattos, a leading sports columnist here. ‘Then . they had three great players in Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. Not to . mention a great captain in Cafu. Now, however, there is only Neymar, . and he is only 22. He is still a boy, yet he has all this . responsibility.’ Neymar is . not shying away from it, as his decision to switch from No 11 to the . iconic No 10 shirt last year demonstrated. He will give the shirt he . wears tonight to his mother, he said. If . he scanned a copy of Diario de Sao Paulo here yesterday, he would have . seen 12 pages of sports editorial dominated by his image. In all 20 . photographs. Iconic: Neymar has taken the No 10 shirt previously worn by Pele, and will give it to his mother after the game . A nation waits: Young Brazil fans wave through holes in the curtains of the team's final practice session, Sao Paulo . Neymar-mania! The young Brazilian's image can be seen on practically every street corner in Brazil . Brazil admires . Neymar for his blistering speed, not to mention the 31 goals and 22 . assists he has managed in just 49 appearances for his country. He might . now be at Barcelona but it was at Santos that the foundations of his . fame were built, in the 136 goals in 225 appearances he scored before . moving to the Catalan capital. Reports of a twisted ankle last week led . to a mood of national hysteria. Only . Scolari even gets close to the number of products Neymar endorses, with . Brazil’s manager the face of supermarkets, cars and beer. But Neymar is . the superstar. It was the . four goals he scored in last year’s Confederations Cup that convinced . Brazilians that here was a player who could take this tournament by . storm. That event also . convinced a pessimistic population that their national team were once . again a force to be reckoned with. They go into this World Cup unbeaten . at home in a competitive match since 1975. Watch and learn: Neymar has scored 31 goals and 22 assists in just 49 appearances for his country . Marketing gold: Neymar's name has been associated with every product under the sun, including this Nike viral . No pressure then: Neymar, holding up his figurine, have not lost a home game since 1975 . Two goals tomorrow? Neymar looks on during a Brazil training session ahead of the World Cup opener . Scolari . was seen as the mastermind of a triumph that concluded with a . three-goal demolition of Spain, and it is why he too is adored. ‘Scolari . is more popular today than in 2002,’ says Mattos. ‘He has given the . people hope when they thought the team would do nothing prior to the . dismissal of Mano Menezes at the end of 2012.’ One . imagines the tragedy that befell Scolari on Tuesday will only heighten . the desire to see him succeed. News of the death of his nephew in a car . accident is said to have left Scolari heartbroken, so much so that . players —David Luiz among them — went to comfort him before their . training session at their Granja Comary base on the outskirts of Rio. ‘We . have been through some difficult times together,’ said Scolari of his . family last night. ‘But we know that life goes on. I find strength from . working with these players. Even when we are feeling sad, we can forget . sadness and feel the beauty around us.’ No wonder they call him Felipao . (Big Phil). Devoted following: Luis Felipe Scolari was comforted by David Luiz after the loss of his nephew . Big Phil: Luis Felipe Scolari is loved and respected by all the players in the Brazil squad . Golden boy: Neymar of Brazil celebrates scoring the opening goal of the 2013 Confederations Cup . Poolice presence: Brazil hope that their football will overshadow protests against the tournament . Final countdown: Brazil players go through the paces in their last training session before facing Croatia . The politics . surrounding this tournament have nevertheless done the hosts no favours. The tournament, as the angry demonstrations have highlighted, is a . political hot potato, the staggering expense of staging the tournament . causing much of the anger. Indeed, . when Brazil was awarded the World Cup in 2007, polls suggested around . 80 per cent of Brazilians were in favour of hosting football’s greatest . extravaganza. Now that figure is below 50 per cent. One way of appeasing the masses has been to take the team round the country over the next month. Their . journey begins here in the south-east, in Sao Paulo, then heads . north-east, to Fortaleza, before moving to the central west area, to . Brasilia. Only if they reach the final do they even play in Rio at the . Maracana. But their group games alone will see them cover 2,436 miles, . compared to Belgium’s 430 miles. On target: Luis Felipe Scolari and assistant watch Neymar practice his trademark free-kicks . Hair today, play tomorrow: Luis Felipe Scolari gives instructions while Chelsea's Willian looks on . Brazilians of Europe: Croatia players train ahead of their meeting with hosts Brazil . It'll be alright on the night: Neymar appeared relaxed in his final press conference, despite the pressure . Those . fortunate enough to witness the beginning of that journey inside the . Arena de Sao Paulo this evening will be supporting a team built on swift . attacks and a philosophy of high-intensity, high-pressure marking, with . Luiz Gustavo in the role of midfield enforcer. In . the newspapers yesterday much of the debate was centred around the fact . that Brazil trained on Tuesday on a small pitch to prepare for Croatia. Known here as ‘the Brazilians of Europe’, Croatia are respected for . their speed and touch and Scolari thinks neat, one-touch football is the . way to combat them. A goal or two from Neymar would also be useful. Talking tactics: martin Keown shows how Brazil will go about trying to win their opening game .
Brazil's World Cup hopes rest on two men - Luis Felipe Scolari and Neymar .
Brazilian coach Scolari says 'it is time' for Brazil to win the World Cup .
Brazil have won a record five World Cups, the last under Scolari in 2002 .
Neymar is carrying the expectation of a nation on his shoulders .
Neymar has taken Pele's iconic No 10 shirt and will give it to his mum .
The 22-year-old has scored 31 goals in 49 international appearnces .
Scolari is respected by all Brazilians, especially after his nephew's death .
Brazil face Croatia in the tournament's opening game on June 12th .
By . Matt Lawton . Follow @@Matt_Lawton_DM . And so, after a quick blast of Jennifer Lopez at this evening’s opening ceremony, it begins. A tournament that has been seven problematic years in the making, for a Brazilian team tasked with winning the hearts of a disillusioned nation on a journey that will take them to every corner of this vast country. For the people of Brazil who will do their best to put their political issues to one side over the next four weeks, their hopes rest on the shoulders of two men. Scroll down for video... Brazil coach Luis Felipe Scolari and Neymar share a joke ahead of their opening game against Croatia . Light-hearted: Scolari and Neymar put on a relaxed front ahead of the opening match of the World Cup . Please allow me to introduce to you... Neymar carries the weight of Brazil's expectations on his shoulders . Feeling confident: Luis Felipe Scolari has proclaimed the time has arrived... 'This is our World Cup' On Luiz Felipe Scolari, the manager . who guided their national team to World Cup glory in 2002 and has . restored belief in a team who were stumbling towards failure before his . return. And a young boy from the region of this huge, bustling, bonkers . metropolis. Another son of Santos who dares to walk in the mercurial . footsteps of Pele. Neymar . joined Scolari on stage at last night’s press conference and if their . performance provided any indication of what is to follow, we are in for . some wonderful theatre. Scolari’s . opening speech was Churchillian. ‘To all Brazilians I want to say the . time has arrived,’ he declared. ‘This is our World Cup.’ Neymar picked up the theme. ‘We want to fulfil the dreams of all Brazilians, which is to win the World Cup.’ Poster boy: Neymar is ready to fulfill his Brazilian countrymen's dreams of winning the World Cup . Under the spotlight: All eyes will be on the 22-year-old Barcelona forward when the tournament begins . Never . has a Brazilian player gone into a World Cup in the position Neymar . finds himself this evening. ‘Look at the 2002 team,’ said Rodrigo . Mattos, a leading sports columnist here. ‘Then . they had three great players in Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. Not to . mention a great captain in Cafu. Now, however, there is only Neymar, . and he is only 22. He is still a boy, yet he has all this . responsibility.’ Neymar is . not shying away from it, as his decision to switch from No 11 to the . iconic No 10 shirt last year demonstrated. He will give the shirt he . wears tonight to his mother, he said. If . he scanned a copy of Diario de Sao Paulo here yesterday, he would have . seen 12 pages of sports editorial dominated by his image. In all 20 . photographs. Iconic: Neymar has taken the No 10 shirt previously worn by Pele, and will give it to his mother after the game . A nation waits: Young Brazil fans wave through holes in the curtains of the team's final practice session, Sao Paulo . Neymar-mania! The young Brazilian's image can be seen on practically every street corner in Brazil . Brazil admires . Neymar for his blistering speed, not to mention the 31 goals and 22 . assists he has managed in just 49 appearances for his country. He might . now be at Barcelona but it was at Santos that the foundations of his . fame were built, in the 136 goals in 225 appearances he scored before . moving to the Catalan capital. Reports of a twisted ankle last week led . to a mood of national hysteria. Only . Scolari even gets close to the number of products Neymar endorses, with . Brazil’s manager the face of supermarkets, cars and beer. But Neymar is . the superstar. It was the . four goals he scored in last year’s Confederations Cup that convinced . Brazilians that here was a player who could take this tournament by . storm. That event also . convinced a pessimistic population that their national team were once . again a force to be reckoned with. They go into this World Cup unbeaten . at home in a competitive match since 1975. Watch and learn: Neymar has scored 31 goals and 22 assists in just 49 appearances for his country . Marketing gold: Neymar's name has been associated with every product under the sun, including this Nike viral . No pressure then: Neymar, holding up his figurine, have not lost a home game since 1975 . Two goals tomorrow? Neymar looks on during a Brazil training session ahead of the World Cup opener . Scolari . was seen as the mastermind of a triumph that concluded with a . three-goal demolition of Spain, and it is why he too is adored. ‘Scolari . is more popular today than in 2002,’ says Mattos. ‘He has given the . people hope when they thought the team would do nothing prior to the . dismissal of Mano Menezes at the end of 2012.’ One . imagines the tragedy that befell Scolari on Tuesday will only heighten . the desire to see him succeed. News of the death of his nephew in a car . accident is said to have left Scolari heartbroken, so much so that . players —David Luiz among them — went to comfort him before their . training session at their Granja Comary base on the outskirts of Rio. ‘We . have been through some difficult times together,’ said Scolari of his . family last night. ‘But we know that life goes on. I find strength from . working with these players. Even when we are feeling sad, we can forget . sadness and feel the beauty around us.’ No wonder they call him Felipao . (Big Phil). Devoted following: Luis Felipe Scolari was comforted by David Luiz after the loss of his nephew . Big Phil: Luis Felipe Scolari is loved and respected by all the players in the Brazil squad . Golden boy: Neymar of Brazil celebrates scoring the opening goal of the 2013 Confederations Cup . Poolice presence: Brazil hope that their football will overshadow protests against the tournament . Final countdown: Brazil players go through the paces in their last training session before facing Croatia . The politics . surrounding this tournament have nevertheless done the hosts no favours. The tournament, as the angry demonstrations have highlighted, is a . political hot potato, the staggering expense of staging the tournament . causing much of the anger. Indeed, . when Brazil was awarded the World Cup in 2007, polls suggested around . 80 per cent of Brazilians were in favour of hosting football’s greatest . extravaganza. Now that figure is below 50 per cent. One way of appeasing the masses has been to take the team round the country over the next month. Their . journey begins here in the south-east, in Sao Paulo, then heads . north-east, to Fortaleza, before moving to the central west area, to . Brasilia. Only if they reach the final do they even play in Rio at the . Maracana. But their group games alone will see them cover 2,436 miles, . compared to Belgium’s 430 miles. On target: Luis Felipe Scolari and assistant watch Neymar practice his trademark free-kicks . Hair today, play tomorrow: Luis Felipe Scolari gives instructions while Chelsea's Willian looks on . Brazilians of Europe: Croatia players train ahead of their meeting with hosts Brazil . It'll be alright on the night: Neymar appeared relaxed in his final press conference, despite the pressure . Those . fortunate enough to witness the beginning of that journey inside the . Arena de Sao Paulo this evening will be supporting a team built on swift . attacks and a philosophy of high-intensity, high-pressure marking, with . Luiz Gustavo in the role of midfield enforcer. In . the newspapers yesterday much of the debate was centred around the fact . that Brazil trained on Tuesday on a small pitch to prepare for Croatia. Known here as ‘the Brazilians of Europe’, Croatia are respected for . their speed and touch and Scolari thinks neat, one-touch football is the . way to combat them. A goal or two from Neymar would also be useful. Talking tactics: martin Keown shows how Brazil will go about trying to win their opening game .
winning the hearts of a disillusioned nation on a rest on the shoulders of two men. Scroll down for video... Brazil coach Luis Felipe Scolari and of Brazil's expectations on his shoulders . which is to win the World Cup.’ Poster boy: Neymar is ready to fulfill his Brazilian 10 shirt last year demonstrated. He will give the 20 . photographs. Iconic: Neymar has taken the No it to his mother after the game . A nation waits: 1975. Watch and learn: Neymar has scored 31 goals today than in 2002,’ says Mattos. ‘He has given Felipe Scolari is loved and respected by all the Brazilians of Europe’, Croatia are respected for