For years, English football was seen as a place where South American stars would fail to thrive. The cold weather, the rough and tumble football, and the more stoic and counter-attacking nature of most clubs made it unattractive to South Americans. However, a generation of Brazilians have grown up watching the English game and have increasingly seen more of their countrymen appear in the league.
Take Liverpool, for example. The Reds first signed a Brazilian not during their 70s and 80s heyday, but during the Rafael Benitez era. He signed Lucas Leiva, who became a functional if unspectacular member of the first-team picture. Despite being a regular, he was the opposite of what most Liverpool fans would have expected to see. Today, though, they can rely upon a flair-friendly keeper in Alisson, a robust central midfielder in Fabinho, and a tremendously unique forward in Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool are just one club with a series of Brazilian players in their ranks; today, there are Brazilian players at Everton, Arsenal, Tottenham, Wolverhampton, Newcastle, Chelsea, Watford, Manchester City, Manchester United, Southampton, and Aston Villa. Even clubs such as Poole Town and Port Vale have Samba stars on their list.
One team who has previously seen Brazilians in their midst, though, was Leeds United. Today, they have one: Raphinha. The former Sporting Clube de Portugal star joined Rennes in France, before leaving after a solitary season in Ligue 1.
His arrival at Leeds was explosive, with the player soon linked with another move away from the club after just six months. Liverpool and Manchester United are keen on adding the player to their already impressive South American-inspired sides. The winger, though, looks set to be the next great Samba start in the Premier League. There are quite many soccer blogs which keep you updated regarding footballers moves and news in general, some of them we can even recommend to visit, TheGlobalSport and Churchofedge.
Why are there more Brazilians in the Premier League today?
While Raphinha looks set to enjoy a long career in the English leagues, a player like him would have been pretty rare even a few years ago. However, the same could have been said of Italian players – the likes of Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli changed that in the 1990s. Now, the likes of Jorginho thrive in the English top-flight.
Why, though, are Brazilians so popular today?
Part of it comes down to coaching culture. The days of EPL sides being managed by domestic coaches are long gone, with most coaches in the league hailing from Spain, Italy, and Germany. This has meant that many of the coaches in the league have coached teams with Brazilians as a key component in the past, and would be happy to add more to the list at their new clubs.
The days of Premier League clubs being scared to try out ‘flair’ players are gone – most coaches today build teams to attack as opposed to play on the break. And with that in mind, most teams in the top-flight now have the funds to convince a Brazilian to come along and see what waits for them.
The days of Brazilians only being seen in continental competition are gone – Raphinha is just the perfect profile for a modern Premier League attacking player.
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