Everyone loves Brazil

[boyofbadgers]

Except that they don't. Maybe.

I was going to write an entry wondering how on earth the Brazilian football team maintain their unusual levels of popularity among fans from other countries. Is it memories of amazing sides past? Is it Ronaldinho's cheeky grin? Or is it because of complex socio-economic factors and/or patronising Western views of plucky poor kids playing barefoot on the beach?

But after reading a fair bit of criticism, both pre and post last night's match, it increasingly looks like your average punter is starting to get sick of the media's sycophantic coverage of Brazil. It remains to be be seen whether this will translate over time into actual dislike of the team, or even ambivalence towards them, but it might just be the first step on the road towards Manchester United style hatred.

So, as is traditional, a poll:

[Poll #747774]

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

My colleagues tell me that Ronaldo is now fat! Like Serena Williams!

Why are so many football players called Ronaldo?

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Fat and slow. Last night's commentators were taking a great deal of pleasure in devising new and ever more rubbish ways of referring to Ronaldo's lack of athleticism.

[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

"He's taken a few too many trips to Ronaldo McDonaldo's" etc etc?

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

That would have been a five-star comment compared to some of what they said. Motty and Lawrenson don't quite have yr mad subbing skills, innit?

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Why are so many football players called Ronaldo?

It's not their real names. If you want to be taken seriously as a Brazilian footballer, then you have to have a nickname.

The guy we know as Ronaldo used to be known in Brazil as Ronaldinho (when he was younger) - Ronaldinho means "little Ronaldo". Ronaldo's real name is Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima.

Ronaldinho was actually known as Ronaldinho Gaucho when he first emerged in Brazil (because he is left footed). His real name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. These two players actually have nicknames that incorporate their real name "Ronald". But they are in the minority.

Kaka's real name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite because when he was little, he couldn't pronounce his own name, Ricardo, so he shortened it to Caca, which later changed to Kaka.

Garrincha, one of the most famous Brazilians of all time was actually called Manuel Francisco dos Santos, but used the nickname of 'Little Bird' because he used to fly past defender (not literally).

And so it goes on. The reason for this is that the diminutive forms of names are the traditional Portugese way of showing that you care about someone... rather than using someone's formal full name, a nickname for someone you love is commonplace in Brazil. I expect that when Kaka was a kid, his mother probably called him Ricardo when she was angry with him.

Cristiano Ronaldo's real name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. I cannot explain this, apart from saying that he was also called Ronald, but his parents were more relgious than Ronaldo's or Ronaldinho's!

[tansu.livejournal.com]

I like the nicknames very much. (Cafu has a great derivation behind it, it being short for the name of a past Brazil player who today's Cafu was said to play a bit like when he was younger. Like if we called Rio Ferdinand "Bobby" because when he was a kid people said he could be the next Bobby Moore.)

England should follow suit and have "Lamps" "Becks" "Stevie G" etc on their shirts.

(yes of course this is a stupid thing to say because as you rightly point out it's due to an aspect of Brazilian culture which doesn't really exist in English culture)