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<H1>A long way from Rio</H1><DIV class=bylinebox style="MARGIN-TOP: 8px"><DIV class=bylinetext>Jon Carter
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Nurturing young talent has always been something of a forte for Brazilian teams. The likes of Pele, who was brought into the Santos first team aged just 16, developed through a youth system that has been responsible for bringing some of the best footballers in living memory into the game. <DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 205px"><DIV class=photocred2>Clive Mason/GettyImages</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>A young Ronaldo left Brazil in 1994 to continue his career in Holland with PSV.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
Ronaldo started with Cruzeiro EC when he was just 17, 'World Player of the Year' Ronaldinho was 18 when he made his impression on the Grêmio starting XI, and AC Milan's Kaka made his mark at the more high-profile Sao Paulo club at the same age.
But what do all these greats of world football have in common? Answer: they all left Brazil as soon as they could. Ronaldo spent only a year in Brazil before being snapped up by PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldinho cut his teeth at Paris St Germain in France, after only a few years in Brazil, while Kaka lasted little less time at Sao Paulo before sealing his big move to Italy. Pele, by comparison, spent 18 years at his beloved Santos, and left only towards the end of his career for a lucrative stint with the New York Cosmos. Given the choice, it's hard to contend with the decision of Brazil's young stars to seek their fortune on the lucrative European stage. Swapping favelas for fortune, they are doing what any young player would do and safeguarding their financial future.
It's no mistake that Russia's profitable Premier League has seen an influx of Brazilian talent over the past few years. Some 20 Brazilians now play in Russia and they're certainly not there for the weather. Vagner Love, Alexandro Dudu, Jo and Daniel Carvalho are just a small selection of the names on view in the Russian league - although this quartet all play in the same CSKA Moscow side. Kitted out with gloves for most of the season they have certainly made an impression, causing Arsenal all sorts of problems in the Champions League and bringing a whole new fanbase to the Moscow side. While the icy chill of Russia may not be the ideal home for a Brazilian youngster, the alternative of scraping a living in the game back home is far less appealing.
Last year Brazilian football transferred a total of 878 players abroad, amounting to the greatest migration in the international market. Granted most of these players will end up in places like Kazakhstan or Malta, where they will not make much of an impression on the world-stage, but they are still viewed as superstars simply because of their nationality. Brazilians succeeding at home are an all-too rare breed; the example of Pele came in an altogether different era, while the player many view as his successor, Robinho, is the modern day antithesis to former's loyalty. <DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 205px"><DIV class=photocred2>Mike Egerton/Empics</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>Robinho was forced out of Santos and settled happily in Madrid.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
But few blame Robinho. Having gone through the pain of his mother's kidnapping at the hands of Brazilian gangsters, the 22
Archive </DIV><DIV style="FLOAT: left"></DIV></DIV><BR clear=all><DIV class=text11 style="BACKGROUND: #fff"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
Nurturing young talent has always been something of a forte for Brazilian teams. The likes of Pele, who was brought into the Santos first team aged just 16, developed through a youth system that has been responsible for bringing some of the best footballers in living memory into the game. <DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 205px"><DIV class=photocred2>Clive Mason/GettyImages</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>A young Ronaldo left Brazil in 1994 to continue his career in Holland with PSV.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
Ronaldo started with Cruzeiro EC when he was just 17, 'World Player of the Year' Ronaldinho was 18 when he made his impression on the Grêmio starting XI, and AC Milan's Kaka made his mark at the more high-profile Sao Paulo club at the same age.
But what do all these greats of world football have in common? Answer: they all left Brazil as soon as they could. Ronaldo spent only a year in Brazil before being snapped up by PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldinho cut his teeth at Paris St Germain in France, after only a few years in Brazil, while Kaka lasted little less time at Sao Paulo before sealing his big move to Italy. Pele, by comparison, spent 18 years at his beloved Santos, and left only towards the end of his career for a lucrative stint with the New York Cosmos. Given the choice, it's hard to contend with the decision of Brazil's young stars to seek their fortune on the lucrative European stage. Swapping favelas for fortune, they are doing what any young player would do and safeguarding their financial future.
It's no mistake that Russia's profitable Premier League has seen an influx of Brazilian talent over the past few years. Some 20 Brazilians now play in Russia and they're certainly not there for the weather. Vagner Love, Alexandro Dudu, Jo and Daniel Carvalho are just a small selection of the names on view in the Russian league - although this quartet all play in the same CSKA Moscow side. Kitted out with gloves for most of the season they have certainly made an impression, causing Arsenal all sorts of problems in the Champions League and bringing a whole new fanbase to the Moscow side. While the icy chill of Russia may not be the ideal home for a Brazilian youngster, the alternative of scraping a living in the game back home is far less appealing.
Last year Brazilian football transferred a total of 878 players abroad, amounting to the greatest migration in the international market. Granted most of these players will end up in places like Kazakhstan or Malta, where they will not make much of an impression on the world-stage, but they are still viewed as superstars simply because of their nationality. Brazilians succeeding at home are an all-too rare breed; the example of Pele came in an altogether different era, while the player many view as his successor, Robinho, is the modern day antithesis to former's loyalty. <DIV class=phinline>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 205px"><DIV class=photocred2>Mike Egerton/Empics</DIV><DIV class=photosubtext>Robinho was forced out of Santos and settled happily in Madrid.</DIV></DIV></DIV>
But few blame Robinho. Having gone through the pain of his mother's kidnapping at the hands of Brazilian gangsters, the 22
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