One of the first moves of Dorival Junior when appointed Brazil’s head coach was to plan a trip to England.
Over the space of a week or so in February, he attended five games and visited the training centres of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Fulham, where he spoke to fellow coaches.
And when the time arrived to select his first squad for friendlies against England on Saturday, and against Spain three days later, Dorival named 10 players from the Premier League.
Gabriel Magalhaes, who has since withdrawn from the squad, Andreas Pereira, Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Douglas Luiz, Joao Gomes, Lucas Paqueta, Gabriel Martinelli, Richarlison and Ederson, who has since been injured, were all chosen.
There might easily have been more, because fitness issues forced him to leave out Alisson, Joelinton, Gabriel Jesus and Joao Pedro.
Brazil boss Dorival Junior has a host of Premier League stars to chose from for the national side
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson and Man United midfielder Casemiro are among the Brazilian stars playing in England
Gabriel Martinelli (pictured with partner Isabella Rousso) has been a huge success at Arsenal
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It reinforces the feeling that Brazil’s best have fallen in love with the Premier League. There are 33 players competing in the competition this season, and it has replaced Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga as the destination of choice.
It is a mark of quality. ‘Like the NBA of football,’ as Brighton’s Joao Pedro tells Mail Sport. ‘The best players, most of them are here and that makes it the most difficult league. That’s why I like it so much. Every player aims to be here because of the level and the players involved.’
The feeling appears mutual. English clubs scour the Brazilian market in search of the best young talent and more could be on the way, including Fluminense’s André and São Paulo’s Pablo Maia, both named in Dorival’s squad for Saturday’s friendly at Wembley.
‘I heard about an offer from an English club, and then another club inquired about a loan deal two windows back,’ 22-year-old Maia told Mail Sport. ‘The Premier League is played at the highest technical and intense level in the world, with players accustomed to the Champions League and World Cup.
‘It’s a league that we dream of, set as a goal. Whenever I can, I watch the games and analyse how players in my position perform.’
Mirandinha was the first to clear this path when he signed for Newcastle from Palmeiras in 1987, when it was still plain old Division One. Until then, Brazil’s big-name players such as Zico, Socrates and Falcao had opted for Italy and Spain when they moved to Europe.
‘England was something different,’ says Mirandinha. ‘When Newcastle really showed interest in me, I started looking what it was to live and play football in England. It was football that wasn’t flashy.’
Brighton and Brazil striker Joao Pedro has described the Premier League as the NBA of football
The trail for Brazilians in England was blazed by Mirandinha, who joined Newcastle in 1987
Mirandinha (pictured with Paul Gascoigne) played for the Magpies for two seasons before returning to Brazil
Now 64 and a coach for many years, he considers his time in Tyneside as the most memorable of his career, despite problems at first coping with the food, weather, language and Britain’s passion for punctuality.
‘Schedules especially were very strict, British time for everything,’ recalls Mirandinha. ‘The football was played with a lot of virility, a lot of aerial ball, and I tried to prepare myself for this battle, which was not easy.’
Branco experienced the same when he moved to the Premier League to join Middlesbrough in 1996, having played in Italy and Portugal and won the World Cup in 1994. ‘The Premier League didn’t yet have all this visibility and brand,’ says 59-year-old Branco.
‘Although it was already very competitive with financial power. The exchange rate difference, which continues to this day, made the proposal irrefutable. I was already over 30 when I arrived in England.’
Middlesbrough established a Brazilian enclave with Juninho and Emerson also at the club. ‘I remember very competitive games, a lot of physical strength, duelling against great players and experiencing a level of organisation unlike anything I had seen,’ says Branco.
Juninho won the Carling Cup during his time at Middlesbrough, who had an enclave of Brazilians
‘Of course, finances are still part of the dream of playing in English football but that’s not all. It’s the structures, the competitiveness, the levels of the players and professionals. ‘There is everything to seduce the kids nowadays. If an athlete can compete in the Premier League, it is as if they receive a unique certificate for their football. It’s as if saying, ‘I’m among the best’.’
The financial appeal is greater than ever. Thirty-five years after Newcastle paid £575,000 for Mirandinha, Manchester United signed Casemiro from Real Madrid for £70million on wages of £350,000 a week. ‘The money I was paid to go and play for Newcastle would not buy me an apartment today in a good neighbourhood of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro or Minas Gerais,’ smiles Mirandinha. ‘The figures in English football today are fantastic. The Englishman was very wise, as always.’
Willian, who joined Chelsea from Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia in 2013, is the Brazilian with most Premier League appearances and now at Fulham, his third London club after a short spell at Arsenal.
Fernandinho, who won five league titles in nine years at Manchester City, won the most trophies and Roberto Firmino is the top-scorer with 82 for Liverpool, followed by Gabriel Jesus with 73 for City and Arsenal.
‘I was in Ukraine when Chelsea made the first offer for me,’ says 35-year-old Willian, who joined Anzhi from Shakhtar Donetsk. ‘Then I started watching the Premier League more, especially the Chelsea games.
‘I visited London to see what it was like, and besides falling in love with the city, I was fascinated by the football, always watching the games, and then it became a dream to play there.
Willian (left) is one of the most recognisable Brazilian players in the Premier League
‘The Premier League became attractive for me because it is the best league in the world, a league that really attracts the players, for the strength they have, for the clubs they have and for the organisation. The stadiums are always full and the pitch is always perfect.
‘More clubs are investing, both big clubs and small clubs, or those considered small in quotation marks but which have a great financial power and good structure, and can compete on equal terms with these big clubs. The Premier League will be relevant for many years to come.’
Lucas Moura agrees. ‘The thing that surprised me most was the level of the competition,’ says Moura, who spent five years at Tottenham and is now back in Brazil, playing for São Paulo.
‘Every game was like a final with a lot of intensity and the ball keeps on rolling, everything contributes to playing good football. The Premier League is the most beautiful league in the world.’