However, below the Premier League, Brazilian players in England are few and far between. Adriano Basso and Guly do Prado both play in the Championship, but after that you have to go down to the Blue Square Premier to find the next Brazilian.
That man is Magno Vieira, who plays for Fleetwood Town. While he is not the most famous Brazilian to be playing in England, he has certainly shown he can make an impact at the level he is currently playing at.
After starting his career in England with Wigan Athletic, Vieira has moved around a fair bit before settling at Fleetwood. He is currently in his second season with the side, after scoring 22 goals in 42 games in 2010-11. Sambafoot recently caught up with him.
How did you end up moving to England, and when was it?
I moved to England in 2001. I trained at an academy in Brazil, and an English guy was on holiday there. He met my coach at the time, and asked him if he’d be interested in bringing some of the kids who he coached to have a trial at some clubs in England. My coach said yes, so my friend and I went for a trial at Liverpool, but the guy lived in Wigan and we trained there until he could sort the Liverpool trial out. My friend went home, and I ended up staying with Wigan.
With the different lifestyle, did you get homesick? How did you settle in?
I did get homesick, especially at the beginning because I couldn’t speak very good English, but I just got on with it. I knew that was what I wanted to do; I wanted to play football and it was too much of a good opportunity for me to let pass me by, the opportunity to come and play in England at such a young age.
How would you sum up your career in England so far?
I’m pleased. Obviously, I’d like to be playing much higher than where I’m playing, but I’m just pleased I’ve managed to get paid to play football. I just enjoy playing football, and I enjoy getting paid to do it, so I can’t really complain about that.
You play in Fleetwood, and live in Preston. How do they compare to Brasilia, your hometown?
Much calmer and cooler. I was speaking to my brother the other day, and he told me that it is 91 days since it last rained in Brasilia. In Preston, it could rain for 91 days straight! So it’s a big difference there, but I enjoy the lifestyle in England. It’s very calm and secure, which is very good for my family, so I’m happy here.
As a Brazilian playing at this level, do you find that the fans and teammates expect you to be showboating and skilful most of the time?
Most of the people who know me at this level know what I bring to the team, and there aren’t going to be many step overs, that’s for sure! I try to link up with play as best as I can and try to score as many goals as I can, and create goals as well. You won’t see many step overs, but you’ll see goals!
Of the Brazilian players who have played in England, who is your favourite?
I met Juninho [Paulista] a few years ago when I was at Wigan, and I thought he was unbelievable. He showed so much quality when he was at Middlesbrough, and I think I would choose him, because he was a small guy playing in a very physical league but he still managed to do so well.
Which Brazilian club do you support?
I support Botafogo, the best team in Brazil! They are third [sic] at the moment in the league. We just drew with Sao Paulo the other day, when we were winning 2-0 but let it slip to 2-2, but I think we’re doing well there this year and we’ve got a great chance of winning the league.
What do you think of the young Brazilian players coming through, such as Neymar, Ganso and Leandro Damiao?
They are all great players, and I’m sure that they will be successful wherever they go. I hope they come to Europe soon so they can show how good they are. I think Leandro Damiao would suit the English style of play very well, because he’s a big centre forward and I’m sure he would score a lot of goals here. Neymar would probably be better going to a less physical league. Ganso, I think he can play anywhere in the world. He’s just unbelievable.
Why do you think Brazilians aren’t suited to the physical style of the English game?
It’s much more physical than what Brazilian players are used to. Not just Brazilians, but also Portuguese and Spanish players aren’t used to this physical game, and are more about the technical side of it. That’s why I think sometimes Brazilians find it hard to adapt in England, like Robinho did. He never managed to adapt here, but they are all great players and they just need to find the right country and the right style of play to suit them.
What do you think of the Brazil national team at the moment?
I think we’ve got a lot of potential there. There are a lot of young players, and the manager is trying some of them at the moment looking to the World Cup. I’m sure that when it comes all these young players will be ready to show their true colours and will shine.
Who were your Brazilian idols when you were growing up?
Romario and Bebeto. Romario was such a good goalscorer, and Bebeto’s link up play was amazing, so those two are my two favourite players.
Do you want to return to Brazil to play there before you retire?
I’ve been here in England for ten years now, and I’ll probably want to play here as long as I can, then hopefully I can retire here.
With thanks to Derick Thomas for asking the questions.
