A foto é da Fan Fest, logo depois do jogo da Austrália, esta semana.
A reportagem a seguir, intitulada Beautiful
Game Played With a Gaúcho Flair in Southern Brazil, é do The New York Times, e apresenta um povo bem diferente do restante do povo do Brasil, muito mais próximo da história dos povos platinos, sobretudo da Argentina.
Use o tradutor do Google, desta página, aí ao lado, para traduzir:
PORTO ALEGRE,
Brazil — “Tell me how you play, and I will tell you who you are.”
It is
one of soccer’s great truisms, and nowhere does it have more meaning than in
Brazil, where soccer is widely thought to articulate the country’s sense of
self.
When the
country won its third World Cup in 1970, the Jornal do Brasil asserted that
“Brazil’s victory with the ball compares with the conquest of the moon by the
Americans.” Overnight, the country was no longer recognized for its Carnival,
but for its soccer. Brazil had found its place in the world.
The
“jogo bonito” intoxicates those who watch it. Brazil’s style of play
represented a better, idealized version of the country where improvisation led
to transcendence, success and international acclaim. The curse of Brazil has
always been the gulf between what it could be — since the 1940s it has been the
“country of the future” — and what it is.
Neymar’s
extraordinary skills seem to give the country's team enough Brazilian-ness to
satisfy the nation.
On the
soccer field, this was felt most sharply in 1982, when Brazil lost in the
second round of the World Cup. The magical midfield of Falcão, Zico, Sócrates
and Cerezo proved so dazzling that many observers were blinded to the side’s
vulnerability. Brazilians still crave a World Cup for this phantom team that
never delivered.
Not
everyone in Brazil expects this national team to win. Expectations often vary
by region.
Here in
the southern city of Porto Alegre, everyone is dressed for winter.
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