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Brazil Soccer - Current Brazilians have new impact in Europe Brazil soccer
One common saying about soccer claims, "The English invented (soccer), the Brazilians perfected it." Everyone who has ever seen soccer played by Brazilians knows unequivocally why they call it the beautiful game. Brazil soccer In addition to team success, Brazil has produced some of the greatest players to ever play the game;. From the legendary Pele, who helped Brazil win three of its Wrold Cups and was named the Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee, and his World Cup teammates Garrincha and Gerson, to current stars like ronaldinhl and Kaka, Brazil has a rich history of producing world class talent. The heroes of days past and today's stars, however, have a major difference: many Brazilians today play professionally in Europe, while stars of he past remained in Brazil. Evaristo was one of the first Brazilians to play in Europe, winning the Spanish domestic league with both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but he was the exception rather than the rule. Several other Brazilians played on European teams in the late 1970s and early 1980s, like Zico and Socrates, but players from South America's largest country did not begin to have a significant impact until the 1990s and 2000s. In 1994, Romario led La Liga in scoring as he helped Barcelona win the domestic title. For his effort, Romario was named the FIFA World Player of the Year, the first Brazilian to earn the prestigious honor. He was not the last, though. Romario's 1994 World Cup teammate, Ronaldo, took home the award in 1996, 1997 and again in 2002; their countrymen Rivaldo (1999) and Ronaldinho (2004 and 2005) also earned the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho also each won the Ballon d'Or, the award given each year to Europe's best player. Defender Roverto Carlos, who played for Inter Milan and Real Madrid before moving to Turkish side Fenerbahce, was another Brazilian star who made a name for himself in Europe in the late-90s. These superstars stood out because of their amazing technical ability and the creativity for which Brazilian soccer is known. Brazil's World Cup Rosters provide another concrete example of this transatlantic trend. In 1974, every single player on Brazil's World Cup team played professionally in Brazil and in 1986 only two played overseas. By 1994, however, ten of the 22 players played for European clubs, and in the last World Cup, 20 of the 23 players made their living in Europe. Ronaldinho, who still works his magic for FC Barcelona, is not the only Brazilian making headlines in Europe. AC Milan's Kaka took home the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2007 after leading Milan to the UEFA Champions League title over Liverpool. Only 25, Kaka has many more years of success ahead of him and will likely add many more trophies to his case. Kaka's Milan teammates Dida and Cafu have also represented Brazil well in Europe for many years, but Alexander Pato might be the next Brazilian superstar. The 18-year-old has been impressive for AC Milan in his first Serie A season. His countryman and fellow teenager Anderson has been establishing himself in England's Premier League with Manchester United. Though stars like Ronaldinho and Kaka grab most of the attention, Brazilians are excelling all across the continent: veteran Gilberto Silva is vice-captain of Arsenal FC in England, Lucio anchors the defense for Germany's Bayern Munich and Helton minds the nets for top Portuguese club FC Porto, to name a few. Brazilians have recently helped their clubs win league titles in everywhere from Moldova and the Ukraine to Sweden, Holland, Switzerland, Turkey and Israel. As long as the best club soccer in the world continues to be played in Europe and as long as Brazil continues to produce some of the world's best players, many more Brazilians will go from stars to legends in Europe and the Brazilian National Team will continue to be dominant on the international stage. ULTIMATE Soccer Coaching System | PLAYER Improvement Plan | History of Soccer | 17 Rules for Soccer | Soccer Offside Rules | Soccer Wallpapers & Graphics | Improve Mental Focus
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