Eat, Sleep, Play Football. The Brazilian Way Of Life.

I dont know how to start writing this one.. Football is more than a sport for Brazilian people, it's their passion(These are the words of a Brazilian) Everyone knows something about football, every family has a club of their own, it's normal life here. For me, it's the same. More than a passion, i would say!

Well, I expected a lot of football here but I got a "little less". I played my first football after almost a week for one hour. Dissappointed. Nothing for the next two weeks. Getting a bit bored here, you know. No football... Then one fine Sunday, (The best day of my Brazilian life till now) I go with my brother to play football at 5:30. I had no idea how much time, what, where we were going to play. He takes me to his old apartment where they have a little, cemented, floodlit, fully covered football field. People join in slowly. At 6 we start. BRAZILIAN PEOPLE ARE CRAZY FOOTBALL PLAYERS. I am not exaggerating. It's true. I got beaten atleast 10 times that day and I feel no shame!
First time in my life have I played and enjoyed myself so much... Reggae music in the background, insane football players in front. I am standing there, breathing in the wonderful moment, telling myself to believe it and trying to cope up with their game as well!
One thing i noticed about these guys, is that they are honest players. Nobody cheats, nobody gets angry on another for a foul, everyone is simply enjoying doing what comes to them so naturally. Second thing is that these guys are not afraid to try new things, new tricks, risky passes because they know that nobody is going to shout at them for doing it wrong. That is the problem, i feel, with Indian method of teaching. You dont have that freedom, that space to do something new because mentally you are cramped up, you think,"If i get this wrong, people are going to laugh at me. So, I better not try it" Nothing like that here. Nobody laughs at another guy for getting a trick wrong! I was really overwhelmed by this.
6 in the evening to 10 in the night, I played, I lived a better life for 4 hours. At ten everyone stopped, next half an hour went in chatting with each other. Then, some wise guy had the idea of playing poker. Poker, from 10:30 to 11:10( Without real money, Of Course!) Leave for home at 11:30. That is THE ideal Sunday, believe me.

Though I have not started regular football yet, I hope to start it as soon as possible. I have LOVED what I have seen till now and if all Brazilian football players are like this, I am going to enjoy myself more than anything. Now I know why Pele became 'The Greatest Footballer'. Brazil and Football go hand in hand, dont they? :)