Brazil Soccer: The Samba Kings
We've all seen how beautiful Brazilian soccer can be. It's fast, fluid, and often times dominating. Some of their moves resemble dancing more than soccer.
Earning them the nickname "the Samba Kings", the Brazilian style is not one easily imitated. Each player's individual skill and understanding of the game is remarkable, and even more incredible is the pace at which Brazil produces these fantastic players.
The Country of Football
Even to those unfamiliar with soccer, the Brazilian soccer team is known is known as one of the best in the world. Brazil is considered a favorite at ever tournament it competes at, and with a record 5 titles, they're usually not a bad choice.
Success has followed Brazil at the international level, starting with their first world cup titles, back to back wins in 1958 and 1962. They've been ranked as number one on the FIFA rankings far longer than any other team (rightly or wrongly), and have always developed some of the greatest players to ever play the game, including Pele.
What Does Brazilian Soccer Look Like?
Traditional Brazilian soccer is a beautiful, fast paced, attack-oriented game. Players show creativity in their movements and plays, which is said to be influenced by capoeira and samba dancing. Brazil's street culture also influences the style, with children playing in the streets for many hours a day, practicing their individual moves on each other and improving their game.
Players tend to hold on to possession and attack using sudden dribbling moves with the intent to put the defender off balance. Through balls are used to pierce the defence, as most players possess excellent pace. Truly, Brazil soccer believes that the best way to defend is to maintain possession and deny your opponents the opportunity to attack, a style that many Latin American teams believe in.
While this direct style has given Brazil much success and many admirers the world over, there have been attempts to reform this style in recent years. Most recently, Brazilian coach Dunga attempted to implement more discipline and play a more defensive style in the 2010 World Cup.
The result? Not only did Brazil lose, but it disappointed many of its fans eager to see the samba boys play their usual attractive, attack-centric style. This all proves that sometimes it's best to stick to your strengths.
Take a look at other soccer styles:
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