Tag: brazil

Robinho: the legend we waited in vain for

Illustration by Charis Tsevis. View more of his work here The collective radar of world football is an enigmatic mechanism at the best of times. Sometimes it unearths tantalising treasures made to entrance…

Thiago and Rafinha: more than just your average brothers

BORN TO A World Cup-winning father in Mazinho, Thiago and Rafinha Alcántara have been surrounded by football and its culture for as long as they can remember, including growing up with cousin…

Is Brazilian football rotting from within?

Brazil’s fortunes are fading. Since 2014 the economy of the world’s fifth most populous nation has been faltering, leaving millions unemployed, inflation rates soaring and GDP shrinking at unprecedented rates. This economic…

The greatness of Marta in a still-sexist game

PELÉ, RONALDO, SÓCRATES, GARRINCHA: Brazil has had its fair share of legends, players so great a nickname in Portuguese is enough to identify them the world over. But there’s another who sits as equal…

How Philippe Coutinho escaped purgatory

Illustration by Red Star Liverpool. Find more of his great work here Modern football has created a purgatory. A place where players that fail to live up to their initial hype are consigned…

How Ronaldo and Romário became the perfect partnership

We all marvel at the skill determination and single-minded focus of individuals that achieve greatness across the sports, from Muhammed Ali to Tiger Woods and Roger Federer to Usain Bolt. Commentators and pundits today…