Sao Paulo's Lucas duo potentially the next great Brazilian exports

[Blue_Tires]

Soccer said farewell to one of its all-time greats last week when Ronaldo announced his retirement. Brazil was awash with reflections on the career of the man with more World Cup goals than anyone else -- and Ronaldo was asked to contribute. Where would he place himself in the pantheon of Brazilian strikers?

With complete justification, he placed himself second or third. The only player he named as his superior was Pele -- "even back then he was modern," Ronaldo commented.

Pele's tactical versatility and commitment to physical preparation bear out Ronaldo's words. But in one respect Pele was not modern at all. He was not built for export.

Brazilian players have been moving to Europe for decades -- the country even supplied a member of Italy's 1934 World Cup winning squad, right winger Guarisi. But until comparatively recently, it was not only possible for a top Brazilian player to spend his entire career at home, it was commonplace. The first time that a Brazil World Cup squad contained foreign-based players was as recently as 1986.

Then the global market opened for business. Ronaldo was a skinny kid of just 17 when he joined PSV of Holland in 1994. His success added motion to the wheel. It quickly became customary for almost the entire Brazil squad to be comprised of European-based players.

Recent economic developments have brought about a change in the terms of trade. Europe's crisis coupled with the strength of the Brazilian currency mean that Brazil can now hold on to some of its talented players for a while longer, and bring them back across the Atlantic a little sooner to round off their careers. But this is a shift rather than a revolution. The basic movement continues in the same direction.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tim_vickery/02/22/brazil.ronaldo/index.html#ixzz1Eo10WFod