Football in Brazil began when

Charles Miller, who was studying in England, returned to São Paulo,

House, carrying in his luggage a ball

Officially football has reached the

Brazil in 1894, when Charles

Miller, from São Paulo, Brás, born in

1874 of English father and Brazilian mother,

brought England the first ball. Miller

studied at Banister Court School,

Southampton, where he met football and

became a player, to the point of arriving

to Hampshire county selection, as

center-forward. When he returned to Brazil,

brought with him all the paraphernalia of the game. Was

until 1910 – when he stopped – the best player

of the country. Then he became an arbitrator (Referee)

and in 1914 he completely turned off the sport. He died in

1953, always in Brás. The story is told

like this. But there are indications that the ball had arrived

It’s even a knot right before Charles Miller. In 1872

The priests of Colégio São Luís, Itu, SP, would have

organized matches among his students,

following the rules of Eton, England; In

1874, English sailors would have hit ball

on the beach of Glória, and in 1878 others

English, crew of the ship “Crimea”

would have disputed the first national naked

in front of Princess Elizabeth’s house, also in

Rio.  There are references, yet from another game between

the employees of the City and Leopoldina Railway,

before the return of Charles Miller. But for

the official records, went with his ball and the

their uniforms they threw themselves the first match

football in Brazil, in Várzea do Carmo, São Paulo

Paulo, bringing together English and Brazilians from

Gas Company, São Paulo Railway,

London Bank and the São Paulo Athletic Club,

Association that later began to host the

Games. By 1910 football was already regularly

practiced at Mackenzie Athletic Association,

at Sport Club Internacional, Sport

Club Germania, at Clube Atlético Paulistano and

the pioneer São Paulo Athletic Club. Were

they who in 1901 founded the São Paulo league.

However, they were not specialist clubs in the

Football. The first of its kind were the

Sport Club Rio Grande, from Porto Alegre, RS,

and the Ponte Preta Athletic Association,

Campinas, SP, which appeared in 1900.

In the year that the Paulistas organized

In league, the cariocas knew the ball, for

initiative of Oscar Cox who, like Miller,

put game material in the luggage, when

returned from school in Lausanne, Switzerland. The

cariocas began at Rio Cricket,

Niterói, but they walked fast. Already in 1901

even, played twice with the Paulistas

(1 x 1 and 2 x 2, in São Paulo). In 1902 they founded

Fluminense Futebol Clube. Other clubs

emerged and, in 1906, disputed the first

city championship. In 1910 Fluminense

led to Rio the London Corinthians at the time,

the super-sumo of English football. It was a

Success. Finally, in 1919 – when the

Brazil won its first championship

South American – football was already played in

the whole country. But his consecration

International Only started in 1925, after which

Paulistano went to Europe, winning eight games

and only losing one. From there football

popularized in such a way that when Vasco

of Gama, Rio, and Corinthians, in São Paulo

Paul, resolving to democratize it, accepting

black and working-class players, elitists do not

resisted. It was the conquest of the crowds. And the

transformation of football as Brazil’s national sport,

Brazil, today, a world superpower.

By Jucele

Julio Leal

21.2.21