Mirandinha and the Brazilians in England
[photo=Mirandinha.jpg id=57 align=right]England 1987, an all British Liverpool side were dominating English football. These were the pre-Premiership, pre-Hillsborough football years, when football was still a working class game. Fighting on and off the terraces – no all seater stadiums – and English clubs banned from European competition.
As Liverpool enjoyed the high life, in the North East things weren’t going quite so well for Newcastle United. Star player Peter Beardsley was following Chris Waddle out of St James’s Park and the supporters were calling for the board’s resignation. So two weeks into the start of the season, Newcastle did what any football club in their position would do, sign a Brazilian. Twenty eight year old Francisco Ernami Lima de Silva – better known by his nickname ‘Mirandinha’.
The move cost Newcastle £575,000 with the player signing a three year contract reputed to be worth £1,250,000. Today this type of move would surprise no-one, but in 1987 no Brazilian had ever played football in the English league.
A number of players from South America had tried their luck in the Football League. But without fail all of them flopped miserably with only a couple of exceptions (Ossie Ardiles & Ricky Villa). Opinion in the English press was divided on whether this purchase was an amazing coup for Newcastle or a expensive mistake. Critics were quick to claim that the ‘the little Brazilian’ would not adapt to the British weather and the physicality of the First Division.
But Newcastle’s Irish manager – Willie McFaul – had no such concerns; after all any player capped by Brazil must be good “I don"t see any risk attached to it or I wouldn"t have done it".
How Mirandinha"s move from Brazil to Tyneside unfolded is almost as interesting as the player’s time in England. It all started when Brazilian student Humberto Silva visited Britain, to learn English; He stayed in Worthing at the home of a local businessman. After he returned to Brazil, Silva contacted his former landlord telling him about a friend, who was a professional footballer that wanted to play in Europe.
Newcastle legend Malcolm Macdonald heard about the player. Macdonald agreed to help make the move happen. Macdonald knowing of Peter Beardsley’s impending exit, phoned the chairman and offered Mirandinha to them. McFaul"s mind was made up when he watched Mirandinha play against both Scotland and England – scoring against them in a 1-1 draw – on Brazil"s tour of Europe during the summer.
Mirandinha came to England with a reputation of being a selfish and bad tempered player who did not get on well with other players. Mirandinha"s answer to the allegations was succinct; “I have been accused in the past of being selfish. Well if I"m scoring goals for Newcastle that"s just what I intend to do".
Before his debut at Carrow Road McFaul claimed that Mirandinha “plays in a very similar style to Peter Beardsley" and at times Mirandinha didn’t disappoint. Becoming an instant hero when he opened his account, in his third game, with two goals in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. The first a deflected free-kick, the second a diving header.
At the end of his first season Mirandinha had scored 12 goals from 29 (1) appearances. In his second season he got 11 goals from 26 (7) appearances; 5 of the goals coming from penalty spot.
To most supporters Mirandinha provided some much need light relief at a hard time for the club. However I think it’s fair to say, like most of his long distance shots, his time in England ended in frustration. He was often criticised for his insistence on shooting from any angle instead of passing to a better placed team mate. The arm up in apology was a familiar sight, but when the next chance came, the result was generally the same.
He also suffered many injuries while in England. In 1987/88 He pulled his hamstring in only his tenth match. In the following season he picked up an injury within 20 minutes of the season"s start and was in and out of the treatment room thereafter.
After two years the critics seemed to have been proven right. United had been relegated, Mirandinha had disappeared back to Brazil and McFaul had been sacked. So unimpressed was the new manager with Mirandinha that he greeted the Brazilians departure with barely concealed delight; allegedly stating that he was happy to see him "go home and rot".
In England, ultimately Mirandinha’s time here is remembered as been an expensive mistake. Certainly Mirandinha himself did not lose out. On top of his lucrative contract he was immediately swamped with sponsorship deals. He signed a contract with boot manufacturers Hi-Tec and with a national newspaper.
He is remembered with fondness by some ‘Magpies’ supporter’s for a few fine goals, extravagant celebrations and an unsporting kung fu kick against Dave Beasant, but for the most part forgotten by the majority of English football fans.
It would be a long time before an English club would take a risk on another Brazilian. Six years to be precise, when another North Eastern, industrial city club – Middlesbrough – took a risk on Juniniho Paulista, this time the Brazilian would succeed.
Mirandinha was the first Brazilian to player in England, his negative legacy still continues today, with few Premier league teams willing to take the risk on a Brazilian’s ability settle in the UK (culturally, not on the pitch). Also the British work permit is one of the hardest to obtain in Europe. To qualify, a player must have represented Brazil, and have played in 75 per cent of competitive international matches in the previous two years. This clearly makes it difficult for young or relatively unknown players to move to England, unless they carry an EU passport.
Brazilian"s players list
The following is a list of the majority of Brazilian’s, who have for better or worse, played in England.
Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva
07/10/1976 Lagoa da Prata-MG
Arsenal (2002)
FA Cup: 2003
English Champion’s: 2004
Charity Shield : 2004
Gilberto excelled in his first season at the club in 2002/03 starting over forty games and establishing himself as Patrick Vieira"s partner in central midfield. His international experience was a huge asset for the north Londoners in Europe. Unfortunately Gilberto injured himself at the start of this season. His disappearance coincided with a dip in Arsenal’s form. His recent return has improved Arsenal’s game and led to a new contract offer from the London club. He is highly regarded by English fan’s and the media.
Edu
Eduardo César Daude Gaspar
15/05/1978 : São Paulo-SP
Arsenal (2000)
English Champion’s: 2002, 2004
FA Cup: 2002, 2003
Charity Shield : 2004
Edu endured a tough time when first arriving in January of 2001. Having his move delayed to the club and when he finally did join Edu was soon sidelined with injuries. But last season Edu excelled, often forcing fellow Brazilian Gilberto on to the subs bench so he could start. However this season injury and protracted contract wrangles meant that Edu could not continue last season’s brilliance. Assuming that this is Edu’s final season in England he will be fondly remembered by Arsenal supporters and has definitely proved himself in the Premier league.
Silvinho
Silvinho Mendes Campos Júnior
12/04/1974 São Paulo-SP
Arsenal (1999-2001)
Silvinho was the first of Wenger’s Brazilian’s to arrive at Arsenal. After two seasons at Arsenal, Silvinho quickly became a crowd favourite after scoring some spectacular goals before moving to Celta Vigo. Silvinho played two seasons for Arsenal on the strength of his Portuguese nationality, which made him an EU citizen without the need for a work permit. However it is alleged that all was not right with his EU status (he play’s in Spain as Brazilian now). He only established himself as an international after coming to Highbury, and may have been unable to attain a work permit (without EU citizenship) if signing and playing only as a Brazilian. It has been reported this because of this Arsenal were forced into selling Silvinho.
Júlio César
Júlio César Santos Corrêa
11/01/1978 São Luis-MA
Bolton (2004-2005)
Bolton Wanderers signed Julio Cesar in August 2004. After playing for a host of clubs across Europe and impressing during a trial period at the Reebok Stadium. Manager Sam Allardyce was impressed. He said: ‘Generally when you get a player on trial, 99.9 per cent of the time they don"t show enough to encourage you to take them. But this guy did everything right from day one. ‘I can"t get my head round getting him out of Spain for nothing." Cesar has played 14 games so far this season and scored 1 goal.
Jardel
Mario Jardel de Almeida Ribeiro
18/09/1973 Fortaleza-CE
Bolton (08/2003-01/2004)
Jardel joined Bolton after an extremely bad run of games for his former club Sporting Lisbon. Never the less, Bolton manager Sam Allardyce hoped he could recapture the form that made him at one point a Brazilian national team player. However life at Bolton went from bad to worse for Jardel, who found the language, climate and culture very difficult and injury hindered a run in the first team. He left after one season and was widely criticised for his unprofessional behaviour during his time at the club.
Roque Júnior
José Vitor Roque Júnior
31/08/1976 Santa Rita do Sapucai-MG
Leeds (01/2004-07/2004)
Roque Junior has had a bad time since moving to Europe. His time at AC Milan was plagued with injury, and was rarely been a regular starter. However he played six games in WC2002 and picked up a winners" medal. A shoulder injury at the start of the 2002/03 season further restricted his appearances for Milan. He eventually joined Leeds on a one-year loan just before the transfer deadline in August 2003. After been offered to just about every club in Europe. The Leeds defence was in turmoil at the time after the departure of Jon Woodgate and Rio Ferdinand. But this was a Leeds team about to self explode. Roque had a few bad games which left the fans questioning his motives for moving to Leeds, however he did score twice against Man Utd, after an Achilles injury, and with costs being cut to the bone, he agreed to return to Milan in January. He has since been loaned out to recently-promoted Siena.
Juninho Paulista
Osvaldo Giroldo Junior
22/02/1973 São Paulo-SP
Middlesbrough (1995-1997) (2000-201) (2002-2004)
League Cup: 2004
Former England captain Bryan Robson persuaded Juninho to join Premiership side Middlesbrough FC for €7M in 1995. The playmaker quickly became a fans" favourite on Teesside, helping the club to two domestic Cup finals in 1996/97. Both were lost, however, and Middlesbrough were relegated on the last day of the season. Juninho however seemed to enjoy his time at Middlesbrough and return to play for them two more times. Juninho is widely regarded by all English fan’s as the most successful and enjoyable to watch Brazilian to have played in England.
Branco
Cláudio Ibrahim Vaz Leal
04/04/1964 Bagé-RS
Middlebrough (1996-1997)
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A World Cup winner in 1994, Branco was considered a sure and solid defender. He also had an eye for goal in the form of stunning free kicks. He was brought to Middlesbrough to join fellow Brazilian Juninho and add some samba skills to the North East. However constant injury and cultural differences limited Branco’s appearances. His time in England is regarded – if remembered – as a flop. Obviously not liking the footballers life style in England, Branco to the astonishment of his team-mates, stood up in the dressing room and delivered this fairly accurate sum up of English football culture "pass… pass… pass… goal!… lager… lager… nightclub!".
Emerson
Emerson Moises Costa
12/04/1972 Rio de Janeiro-RJ
Middlesbrough (1996-1997)
Transformed into a world class midfielder by Bobby Robson at Porto, Emerson turned down Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Inter Milan and Roma to sign for Middlesbrough and link up with fellow Brazilian’s Branco and Juninho. What happened next is not clear, one story goes that Emerson was informed that Middlesbrough was a seaside town complete with beach, which is accurate. However they failed to mention that Industrial factories take up most of the space on the beach and that it rarely stops raining for long enough for you to visit it. Emerson quickly returned to Brazil with the promise he"d seen the last of Middlesbrough. There was a suggestion that his advisors wanted to force Boro to sell him but the club refused to be pushed about. Within weeks he was back in the side. In fact he stayed on after Juninho and Ravanelli left, bringing along his look-a-like cousin Fabio. He never quite recreated his early form and Emerson’s late return from a Christmas trip to Brazil was the final straw. He recently public stated his regret over his actions at Middlebrough blaming his "lack of maturity".
Doriva
Dorival Guidoni Júnior
28/04/1972 Landeara-SP
Middlesbrough (2002)
League Cup: 2004
The latest Brazilian international to arrive at the Riverside Stadium, signed from Celta Vigo after an initial loan move. An athletic defensive midfielder who has top-flight experience in Portugal, Spain and Italy as well as his home country. A squad member in Brazil"s run to the 1998 World Cup final. Doriva has featured a lot for Middlesbrough this season.
Rodrigo
Rodrigo Defendi
16/06/1986 Riberão Preto-SP
Tottenham (2004)
A talented, young centre-half signed from the Brazilian club Cruzeiro. First spotted as a 16-year-old by Frank Arnesen (Tottenham’s football director), the appropriately named Defendi is reknowed for a deft left foot and a dominance in the air. He looks set to play a part in Tottenham"s future under the guidance of Arnesen and Martin Jol. He has not yet played a first team game but has made the sub’s bench on a couple of occasions.
Emerson Thome
Emerson Thome 30/03/1972 Porto Alegre-RS
Sheffield Wednesday (26/03/1998-23/12/1999)
Chelsea (24/12/1999-31/08/2000)
Sunderland (01/09/2000-29/08/2003)
Bolton (30/08/2003-05/08/2004)
Wigan Athletic (06/08/2004)
Charity Shield : 2000
Emerson Thome has made over 185 appearances, making him by far the most played Brazilian in English football. He also has the record of having played for the most English clubs. Originally joining Sheffield Wednesday in 1998, Thome is widely regarded as a fine hard working player. This season he has been instrumental in Wigan’s push for the Premier league.
Marcelo
Marcelo Cipriano dos Santos 11/10/1969 Niterói-RJ
Sheffield Wednesday (01/10/1997-25/10/1999)
Birmingham (26/10/1999-06/02/2002)
Walsall (07/02/2002-30/06/2003)
Marcelo joined fellow country man Emerson Thome at Sheffield Wednesday during a bad time for the club. After relegation both the Brazil’s went their separate ways. Marcelo joined the newly premoted Birmingham city, where he was highly regarded. However in his final season there, he spent his days watching from the sub’s bench before eventually leaving for Walsall in 2002.
Rodrigol
Juliano Rodrigo 7/08/76 Santos – SP
Everton 01/07/02 – 31/05/03
Leeds 31/05/03 – 31/08/03
Rodrigo had a torrid time in England. After impressing Everton’s manager David Moyes on a trial, he was given a loan deal. He featured 4 times at the start of the season before injuring his cruciate knee ligaments and missing the rest of the season. He then had a brief and unsuccessful trial at Leeds Utd before heading back to Brazil.
Magno
Magno Silva Vieira 13/02/85
Wigan on loan to Carlsisle
The Latics have found their own samba star in the shape of silky-skilled teenage prodigy Magno Silva Vieira. North West businessman John Bolster is a close friend of Jairzhino and, after a trip to Brazil, Bolster told Wigan about the talents of Magno. Magno is currently on loan at Carlisle United.
Gaia
Santos Gaia 08/09/78 Sao-Mateus-Es
Exeter City – 01/08/02
Santos Gaia moved from Corinthian’s to Exeter in 2002. He has made over 150 appearances for the ‘Grecians’ and scored 8 goals. Unfortunately Gaia missed Exeter’s celebrity match against Brazil (he was home on holiday at the time) last year.
