Why are Brazil so good? Playing soccer, there is.
"Having an entire nation obsessed with football and, by extension, winning the World Cup, has developed a degree of self-fulfilment.
For some children, sport is the only way out of poverty in Brazil
Brazil is a big country - 183m people - and that is a lot of potential footballers, especially when, as Parreira says, "the whole of Brazil" is playing the game.
But for some in Brazil football is more than just a game.
It is, says journalist Lito Cavalcanti, a "life solution".
Many of Brazil's greatest footballers grew up in favelas - the shanty towns in its sprawling cities. Here, life is hard, and football offers an escape from the crippling poverty.
"It's the only way out of misery," says Cavalcanti. "The lower classes have no effective schooling. They live in favelas where drug dealers control their lives. Sport is the only way out, and in Brazil football is the only sport people care about.
"What makes them so good? Necessity. It's the only life they have ahead of them. That is their drive."
BBC SPORT | Football | World Cup 2006 | Teams | Brazil | Why are Brazil so good?
For some children, sport is the only way out of poverty in Brazil
Brazil is a big country - 183m people - and that is a lot of potential footballers, especially when, as Parreira says, "the whole of Brazil" is playing the game.
But for some in Brazil football is more than just a game.
It is, says journalist Lito Cavalcanti, a "life solution".
Many of Brazil's greatest footballers grew up in favelas - the shanty towns in its sprawling cities. Here, life is hard, and football offers an escape from the crippling poverty.
"It's the only way out of misery," says Cavalcanti. "The lower classes have no effective schooling. They live in favelas where drug dealers control their lives. Sport is the only way out, and in Brazil football is the only sport people care about.
"What makes them so good? Necessity. It's the only life they have ahead of them. That is their drive."
BBC SPORT | Football | World Cup 2006 | Teams | Brazil | Why are Brazil so good?
