Former Paraguay international and Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz said that it is a disappointed that his country did not make it to the World Cup in Russia. He said that the level of football in his country has declined because the federation has not invested adequately in formation. He said that it is a sad thing for the fans that their teams are not participating at the World Cup. He believes that there are some good players in Paraguay but they are not given enough resources to improve themselves.
Concerning the tournament itself, he believes that Germany is among the favorites to win the tournament. He said that they have a strong team and that they have some good players that are at their peak. Roque Santa Cruz said that they have not only the skills but also the experience to win a tournament such as the World Cup. He believes that France also has a good chance of winning the trophy as they have a complete team. He said that they have world class players in each department and they also have strength in depth with some energetic young players that play with the best team in Europe.
Roque Santa Cruz said that the South American teams would struggle at this current World Cup and their best chance will be Brazil. He admitted that the team is not strong defensively and that they tend to rely too much on their individualities. He said that this can be a good strategy against the smaller side but they will have problems against the better sides.