Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) legend has said Africa has the quality to make an impact at the world cup but must do away with negative mentality.
“African teams must do away with we can never win a match mentality at the world cup, because they have what it takes to make an impact.
“All over Europe, they are great quality players playing in the top leagues. With the right mental approach, they are capable of taking the world by storm,” he added.
Matheus, who has featured in the FIFA World Cup a record five times said, the continent is rising up and gradually getting closer to breaking the quarter-final stage jinx, but much depends on the approach.
He added that the qualification procedure in Africa was a very tough one and commended the teams representing the continent for coming out of that tough qualification process.
“Look at the last phase of the qualifiers in Africa. The five qualified teams played against the best on the continent.
“This shows their strength and quality. They have to improve on their game at the competition to excel,” he added.
Matheus, who won the 1990 World Cup as the captain with Germany, said top African players must play for the team and not themselves.
“They used to play for themselves at the World Cup, but in recent times they play for the team. If this should continue then they would make a better impact at the world cup,” the German legend stated.
