Sao Paulo: Some of Brazilian football’s most illustrious names landed their first taste of stardom in the Sao Paulo Juniors Cup—and many more are hoping to follow them after this year’s competition ended with a ninth title win for Corinthians.

In recent years, Barcelona’s Neymar, Chelsea’s Oscar and Paris Saint-Germain pair, Marquinhos and Lucas, have been among those who were blooded in the Copa Sao Paulo de Futebol Junior, as the annual under-20 tournament is formally known in Portuguese.

Yet, as Brazil agonises over its footballing future following last year’s World Cup debacle, the nation is still unsure about the quality of tomorrow’s hopefuls.

Indeed, some critics say the standard has never been lower. Especially since the national team were hammered 7-1 by Germany in that numbing World Cup semi-final, Brazilian football has increasingly been accused of being outdated and slow, with too much emphasis on stamina, physicality and results.

The level of play in this year’s junior tournament was slated by Alvaro Oliveira Filho, a columnist in the Lance! sports newspaper, who warned there were few outstanding youngsters compared to years gone by.

“If this SP Juniors Cup is the best parameter for evaluating the quality of Brazilian football in the future, then prepare yourselves,” Oliveira Filho wrote in a column last week.

“We are going to continue to see terrible games in the coming years.”