Copa Libertadores 2012 Property of Brazil? is a post from: Just Football

South America's flagship competition, the Copa Libertadores, is up and running for another season with the group stages kicking off this week. 32 of Latin America's finest will compete to succeed Santos as champions, and thanks to the increasing strength of the Brazilian economy and the country's increasing ability to keep hold of and attract their finest countrymen, Brazil is once considered the trophy's most likely destination come the final in July.

Copa Libertadores 2012 Property of Brazil? is a post from: Just Football

South America's flagship competition, the Copa Libertadores, is up and running for another season with the group stages kicking off this week. 32 of Latin America's finest will compete to succeed Santos as champions, and thanks to the increasing strength of the Brazilian economy and the country's increasing ability to keep hold of and attract their finest countrymen, Brazil is once considered the trophy's most likely destination come the final in July.

Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba, is a Brazilian soccer team from Curitiba, Paraná. Coritiba currently campaigns in the top-tier of Brazilian football – the Campeonato Brasileiro Série...

It's that time of the year again when local pride is at stake in the numerous state championships which are prevalent in the opening months of the Brazilian football calendar. From Amapá in the far north to Rio Grande do Sul in the south, from Acre in the west to Paraíba in the far east of the country, twenty seven regions of Brazil will be involved in their own local championship, mixing the big boys with the smaller village teams, with each club hoping to win their respective title and qualify for a place in next year's edition of the national cup, Copa Brazil.

Neymar in action against the 'old enemy'

The Argentine Football Association has announced a friendly versus Brazil on 9th June.
The rivals are scheduled to meet in the MetLife stadium in New Jersey but the Brazilian Football Confederation have yet to confirm the fixture.
Brazil are next in action in February when their opponents could be Egypt (again to be confirmed).

Mirror: Welcome to the Copinha, home of The Wall, Rudigullithi and the future of Brazilian football

For the new season, MirrorFootball is teaming up with some of the blogosphere's best new writers to bring you even more great football reads every single day. Saturday is South America day, and here's I Like Football Me's Euan Marshall with his take on the week's big issues in the region.

A WINNER IN BRAZILIAN HEARTS SOCRATES

We were stuck in transit at an airport when the news broke that Brazilian football legend Socrates passed away on Dec 4 and couldn't write a tribute to him in time. Many football-loving fathers, brothers and grandads out there speak highly of this man whose legacy is well-documented by the passion of the Brazilians.

2011 Year of the Neymar is a post from: Just Football

He struts with the cocksure swagger of a born star and not only that, he can play a bit too. 2011 can be seen as the year Neymar truly broke through on the world stage. Just Football's man in Brazil Paulo Freitas looks back at the year of the mohawked one:

Neymar has been hyped since he was a youth player, but he finally established himself as Brazil's new big star in the 2011 season, shining in most competitions.

2011 Year of the Neymar is a post from: Just Football

He struts with the cocksure swagger of a born star and not only that, he can play a bit too. 2011 can be seen as the year Neymar truly broke through on the world stage. Just Football's man in Brazil Paulo Freitas looks back at the year of the mohawked one:

Neymar has been hyped since he was a youth player, but he finally established himself as Brazil's new big star in the 2011 season, shining in most competitions.

South American football blog: A tribute to the legend that was Socrates

For the new season, MirrorFootball is teaming up with some of the blogosphere's best new writers to bring you even more great football reads every single day. Saturday is South America day, and here's I Like Football Me's Euan Marshall with his take on the week's big issues in the region.

Sao Paulo midfielder Lucas, who is wanted by a host of top European clubs, has ruled himself out of a possible move to Manchester United in the near future, insisting that his desire is to remain in Brazil for the foreseeable future.
The midfielder is being closely monitored by bitter rivals Liverpool, who will be relieved by the news that Lucas is unwilling to negotiate for the moment, as Dalglish's side would almost certainly represent a second choice for the in demand star.

Watching the 1982 World Cup in my parent's basement, my brother and I pranced around our basement trying to imitate the beauty of Socrates. No-look passes, flicks and back heels were introduced to a growing soccer nation, and I was clearly swept up in it.
With the passing of the Brazilian midfielder this past weekend at the age of 57, Gabriele Marcotti writes of the great playmaker and leader of the Brazilian football revolution.

Socrates, the great Brazilian soccer maverick, has died at age 57. Those who saw him play were moved by his style. He glided over the grass, his intelligence working the angles, carving space, inspirational and beautiful. He was unlike the other midfield maestro of his era Maradona. The Argentine was a short squat explosive; Socrates embodied elegance and poise, something special, the man with the golden heel.

The Brazilian national championship has made a habit of last day climaxes in recent years and this season's competition is no exception. Corinthians (Played 38, Points 71) won their fifth Brasileiro tonight, their first league title since 2005, following a goalless draw against arch rivals Palmeiras.

Brazilian football legend Socrates has died at the age of 57 it has been reported today.

The former Botafogo, São Paulo, Corinthians, Flamengo and Fiorentina player was taken to hospital on Friday with food poisoning and later died through an intestinal infection.

Socrates was perhaps best known amongst football followers for his performances with the Brazilian national team in the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups and it is sad that he is one of few Brazilians superstar players never to win a major tournament with the Seleção.

What's all the fuss about... Liverpool target Lucas Moura

Football Spy has signed up some of the web's top foreign football experts to provide you with first-hand information on the latest Premier League transfer targets. Here's guest writer Jerrad Peters (@peterssoccer on Twitter) on the latest Brazilian talent getting Premier League scouts all hot and bothered.

Brazilian sensation Leandro Damiao has revealed that he could follow Neymar's lead by opting to remain in South America.
Earlier this week Neymar, who had looked set to move to Spain next year, signed a new long-term contract with Santos.
Despite signing a new deal in the summer, Damiao was being strongly with a New Year move to Tottenham - whilst Liverpool, AC Milan and Ukrainian giants Dnipro and Dinamo Kyiv were also being linked.

Last week we covered tha ESPNsoccernet reported that Brazilian star Neymar had agreed to join Real Madrid next summer from Santos for around £53m.

Well today we learnt that the ESPN story was wrong as Neymar announced that he will stay at Santos until at least 2014.

"I'm very happy, it's another decision I'm taking in my life, a family decision," Neymar told a news conference where he was handed a Santos shirt with the number 2014 on it by club president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira.

(In)Famous Facial Hair in Football: Then and Now - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

It's something that's perhaps said almost as much in jest as it is in seriousness, but for some, the mark of a true manly man is all in the facial hair.

If you subscribe to that notion, then you may also be among the population that feels that football isn't what it used to be, with finesse, flair, and frailty pushing physicality in the past, or at best compressed into several three-to-five minute Youtube compilations.

Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba, is a Brazilian soccer team from Curitiba, Paraná. Coritiba currently campaigns in the top tier of Brazilian football the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A following its promotion from Série B at the end of the 2010 season. The club's sole Série A league title came in 1985.

The attendance for today's match is 999 The perfect plan. If you cannot be bothered to buy a ticket for a cup match, then you need a way to get yourself (and five of your mates) into the ground without raising too much attention. Everyone knows that ambulances are subtle vehicles, so six likely lads [.

The Superclassico was no classic but it did offer clues as to the future of Brazilian football

For the new season, MirrorFootball is teaming up with some of the blogosphere's best new writers to bring you even more great football reads every single day. Saturday is South America day, and here's I Like Football Me's Euan Marshall with his take on the week's big issues in the region.

Despite being one of the busiest clubs in the summer transfer window it appears as though Liverpool could continue to spend when the January transfer window opens.
The club is being strongly linked with a move for Sao Paulo midfielder Lucas who is considered one of the hottest properties in Brazilian football.

Brazilian football legend, Marta, was in Sierra Leone in the last two days to promote women's empowerment. The UNDP Goodwill Ambassador met with university students, footballers, advocates and students. Marta also told them the story of how she overcame a difficult childhood to become the best female football player in the world.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. | Subscribe: Predictions

On this week's predictions we feature some big games from La Liga and the Premier League, as well as a host of derby matches from the Brazilian Championship. You can listen to Damon and Damian discuss these games on this week's show.

The Future of Brazil is a post from: Just Football

Brazil's performance at the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups this year, where they finished respectively in third place and as winners, as well as the presence of some exciting young players in the Copa América squad gave us a glimpse of the future of the national team.

There are still three rounds of games to be played in the Campeonato Brasileiro before the half way stage in the competition is reached and eleven of the twenty clubs have already changed their managers since the start of the season.
This staggeringly high rate of hiring and firing will perhaps increase further before the season is out.

Figueirense Futebol Clube, commonly known as Figueirense, is a Brazilian soccer team based in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. Nicknamed Figueira (The Fig Tree), the club currently campaigns in the top tier of Brazilian football, the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, following its promotion from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B in at the end of the 2011 season.

Fluminense Football Club is a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil based soccer team that currently campaigns in the top-tier of Brazilian football the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Featuring former FC Barcelona, Chelsea and Portugual international Deco and current Brazil international Fred, Fluminense won its third Campeonato Brasileiro Série A title in 2010.

Sepp Blatter has taken steps to repair FIFA's damaged relationship with the FA, following his criticism of Brazilian football chief Ricardo Teixeira.

Photo, Shoot Robinho, Neymar and Spongebob Squarepants is a post from: Just Football

Neymar and Robinho enjoy some downtime in their own inimitable style.

(For previous Photo, Shoots on Just Football follow the link)

On Wednesday night in Rio de Janeiro, Neymar once again showed why he's one of the most talked about young Brazilian football players thanks to this beauty of a goal in the 26th minute that gave Santos an early 3-0 lead over Flamengo. Unfortunately for Santos, they ended up losing this offensive battle 4-5, with Ronaldinho picking up a hat trick for the visiting Flamengo, which managed to score three goals in the first half too.

By Chris Wright

Let's start with the Neymar goal.

Love him or loathe him the boy's definitely got skills. The Brazilian wunderkind's latest wonder goal against Flamengo last night was pretty damn swish in fact, the little shimmy on the edge of the Flamengo box has already been christened 'the Neymar slalom'.

By Chris Wright

Let's start with the Neymar goal.

Love him or loathe him the boy's definitely got skills. The Brazilian wunderkind's latest wonder goal against Flamengo last night was pretty damn swish in fact, the little shimmy on the edge of the Flamengo box has already been christened 'the Neymar slalom'.

A Tale of Two 5-4s: Lille v Marseille / Santos v Flamengo (VIDEO) is a post from: Just Football

For every action there's a reaction. Perhaps it was the football gods repaying the world for an inhibited Copa America (to put it lightly), a tonic to ease the strained jaws of an often yawn-inducing few weeks in Argentina.

A Tale of Two 5-4s: Lille v Marseille / Santos v Flamengo (VIDEO) is a post from: Just Football

For every action there's a reaction. Perhaps it was the football gods repaying the world for an inhibited Copa America (to put it lightly), a tonic to ease the strained jaws of an often yawn-inducing few weeks in Argentina.

On the round-up this week, Brazilian football chief Teixeira blasts the FA "pirates", Micah Richards, one of the best right backs in the world according to Micah Richards, bemoans his lack of England call-ups, and it's that time again when the Premier League starts whining about the August England international.

In the last 24 hours, Brazil witnessed almost three dramatic defeats in different levels:
Just now, Germany managed to defeat Brazil 4-3 in World Cup U-17 in Mexico to win the third place. Brazil was leading 3-2, but didn't manage to protect the score.
Just few hours before that game, Brazil lost the quarter final of the women World Cup to USA after again Brazil failed to protect its score.

The end of season special of Hand Of Pod is an epic an hour and three quarters for which I apologise, but there's good reason: South American football broadcasting legend Tim Vickery was talking to us in person over ... Continue reading →

From Santos to River Plate: Glory and agony on wild night in South America is a post from: Just Football

Roughly 2,050 kilometres separate the city of Córdoba, Argentina, and Santos, the municipality located in São Paulo state, Brazil. Travelling by air is recommended but it is possible by land.