Why are The English Scared of Brazilians?

Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Aguero, Messi, Banega, Kaka, Pato, Higuain, Batistuta, Rivaldo…

Why were these payers not signed by English clubs? The list includes world footballers of the year, Balon d’Or winners, and prodigious young talent. One would imagine that these players were hoovered up by Europe’s superpowers. PSG, PSV, Fiorentina, and Atletico Madrid are no minnows but they are also not the calibre of Manchester United or Liverpool in terms of global appeal. So why didn’t the British clubs sign them and why do so many young South Americans still head to mainland Europe rather than the “best league in the world”?

Standard argument 1: Manchester isn’t as nice as Buenos Aires. 

The weather is always blamed for the attraction of Italy and Spain over Blighty. It does seem entirely fatuous to forward this argument when one considers that Kaka and Pato exchanged Sao Paolo and Porto Alegre for Milan. Milan in the winter is cold. As cold as London. As cold as Liverpool and Manchester. 

Standard argument 2: Not many English people speak Spanish.

A similar proportion of Italians speak Portuguese yet Brazilian wonderkids have no issue with the language barrier in la bella Italia.

Standard argument 3: Work permit regulations mean South Americans can’t play in England

While the rules don’t exactly make things easy, if a club can prove that the player will make a significant, positive impact on English football then a conditional work permit can be issued. If the player then turns out not to play in 75% of his country’s games over the following two years then the work permit can be taken away. I’m sure Chelsea could have persuaded the suits at Soho Square that Kaka might have had a future.

English football has to look at itself as an intrinsic, self deploring entity that constantly heaps praise and pours scorn on it’s own people. South American players aren’t purchased by English clubs because so many scouts believe that a lack of British steel means that they will be found out in the Premiership. Serie A and La Liga offer a slower tempo which allows the flair and trickery to be allowed to flourish. 

They are also scared of the risk involved. In more recent times, Sir Alex Ferguson spent a large amount of money on Anderson when he signed him from Porto. But wait he came from Porto. That isn’t in South America. It seems that managers will only take the plunge after a player has played in Europe. Did Manchester United’s scouts watch Anderson at Gremio and miss the fact that he would become such an exciting prospect? If they did, then shouldn’t they be sacked?

Rafa Benitez has revealed that he was interested in both Ever Banega and Sergio Aguero before they moved to Europe but he couldn’t bring them over because of the expectations of the British crowd. Aguero would have been a gamble and he may not have been allowed the time that he had in Madrid if he had moved to Liverpool. But look at what he has become. At just 20 years old he is already being labelled the best player in the world in some quarters. He cost twenty million euros when he was signed from Independiente as an 18 year old. Rafa Benitez signed Robbie Keane for twenty million pounds as a 27 year old. The English crowd it seems, can accept the signing of what they understand but don’t want their clubs to wager large amounts of money on exotic gambles. 

Perhaps mid table teams could invest in youngsters such as Lulinha, Alex Teixeira, Keirrison, Neymar, or Thiago Silva. These players could all be acquired for similar fees that they currently spend on the mediocre talent that is drafted in from across Europe. But the fear is even stronger for teams that need results to secure their financial futures. With fear of relegation applying to a dozen Premier League teams, it is a gamble that they are not willing to take. 

For every Kaka there is a Denilson, which can add credibility to the fear which the English have. But Chelsea have spent obscene figures on Ukranian, French, Portuguese, and Russian flops so why not boost the Brazilian economy?

Perhaps if English clubs took a step away from what is seen as traditional, the domestic game could see the wealth of talent that Spain and Italy have embraced. However two English teams did contest the Champions League Final last season. Now even I’m confused.