EXCLUSIVE: Brazil legend Romario compares current side to 1994 winners

As usual, Romario mentioned the 1994 victory and compared the pressure faced by that generation to the current one. What they have in common: the same 32-year drought.

The former star sees a Brazil that is improving at the World Cup and says he is "enthusiastic" after the 3-0 win over Scotland. Romario also commented on the political turmoil at Vasco and mentioned the challenges he faces as president of America-RJ.

We're in a World Cup environment. You're experiencing a very special World Cup, not just because of the setting in the United States, but also because of your channel, Romario TV. Did you expect this?

"I'm living a very different, very special moment in my life. I am truly living it, in every sense. I was sure things would be very positive here in the USA, because we have such good memories of winning the title here in 1994, after 24 years.

"That group became four-time world champions. And that was one of the reasons - I knew people would remember that a lot. Things are happening even more than I expected."

The Brazilian National Team now faces a knockout stage under pressure to deliver results. You were under pressure in 1994 too. How much does pressure help or hinder?

"First, we left Brazil with little belief, just another team going to the World Cup. Even after that game against Uruguay (in the qualifier), the fans and the Brazilian press didn't really believe Brazil could be champions. We played the first three matches just like the current team: won two and drew one.

"The difference is that the current Brazil drew the first and won the last two, while we beat Russia and Cameroon and drew with Sweden. We left Brazil already thinking we could win the World Cup. We knew it would be tough, that the team wasn't technically "all that," that there were better teams, but our desire to be champions was so great that it made a huge difference for that achievement."

Do you see that same desire from 1994 in this team?

"Not in the first game. In the second, it got better, and by the third I started to feel that this is a Brazil that really excites me. I believe that from this game on (against Scotland), Brazil showed the weight and importance of the shirt."

And Vasco today, how do you see the situation? Complicated? Pedrinho, politics... You're a club president, you know how hard it is.

"It's a complicated situation. Pedrinho has had a lot of difficulty running Vasco. Today I'm president of America-RJ, which is in a very different position from Vasco, unfortunately. America used to be one of the big clubs in Rio, but after many problems over the years, it's rebuilding. And we're trying to help as much as we can at America.

"Vasco still hasn't managed to put together a strong team this year, and they're going up against traditional rivals like Flamengo, Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Atletico, Palmeiras. They go into these matches already with some negatives, and because of that, the other teams grow much more against Vasco today than they did in my time."