Turkey looking warmer than Germany these days for Brazilians

 Over the years, Brazil has become a major center of football, exporting not only its coffee, music and samba dancing, but also football players. Brazil produces quality football players almost like a factory, and since it can’t hold and employ all of them, it winds up sending many of them abroad, often to far-away continents. But these warm-blooded football players have a very difficult time upon arriving in cold European countries; many of them even wind up being eliminated and being forced to return to Brazil. At the same time, Europe has such a need for these great football players that they wind up using all the financial tools they have to attract them.

There is no question that one of the most difficult countries for Brazilian football players to wind up in is Germany. The weather conditions, the language and the style of discipline make life very difficult for Brazilian football players in Germany. The general standard of living and financial possibilities, however, make Germany attractive for Brazilian players. The first Brazilian player to really play professionally in Germany was Jose Gilson Rodriguez, who arrived in Germany in 1964 and played for the Zeze/Köln team. He was followed by Brazilian player Dunga, who played for Stuttgart. Some other star players in Germany from Brazil were Elber, who played in four championship titles for Stuttgart/Bayern Munich and famous defense player Lucio. These days Dortmund’s Marcio Amaros receives a lot of attention. And these players are just some of the first who come to mind; there are many others. Interestingly, the number of Brazilians playing for German teams peaked in 2008 with a record 36, and these numbers have recently dwindled to just 17 players.

One of the big reasons for the reduction of Brazilian players on German teams is the sheer number of Turkish players. Many of these players come from families that immigrated from Turkey to Germany, so that young players such as Özil, Şahin and Töre are technically not German, but they are familiar with the local culture and therefore have no problems adjusting to German life. This has reduced the number of Brazilian players in Germany. Additionally, the fact that the national football team has been open to foreign players has caused an explosion of talented young Turkish players in Germany. Clubs consider not only the talent but the fact that Turkish players are cheaper to acquire than their Brazilian counterparts. Another reason for the decline in Brazilian players is that the German football federation supports a general move towards stocking teams with younger players, which will also tilt the balance in favor of Turkish players, who are so common in Germany.

The decline in the number of Brazilian players has also sparked a reformation of sorts in German football. Clubs now actively encourage players to graduate to the top ranks from lower clubs. As seen in the Bayern Munich team, and players Müller and Schweinsteiger, or with the Dortmund team and player Götze, many German teams have brought young, new German players to the top ranks. The priority when it comes to transfers is now to get players from the lower-ranking teams, while the next best choice is German players from other teams or foreign players who have German citizenship. If that does not work, then star players in neighboring European countries are sought, such as Robben or Ribery. Germans seem to dislike spending enormous amounts of money on foreign players who will experience problems getting accustomed to the culture and surroundings and who don’t necessarily have the best sense of discipline.

Another reason the number of Brazilian players at German clubs is dropping is the frequent mention by the press of the inability of these players to adapt to German life. One such mention in the press was of Brazilian player Dede, who transferred to the German team Borussia Dortmund from the Turkish team Eskişehir. The Alman Bild Internet site focused on Dede, noting that he seemed so far removed from the culture of supermarkets that he often did his shopping at petrol stations. The same piece of news mentioned how another Brazilian player saw snow for the first time, and how he was suffering from a new set of allergies in Germany.

Turkey’s weather and tolerance

As far as Turkey is concerned, from the perspective of Brazilian players, it is no doubt easier than Germany. There is more warmth in Turkey than Germany, both in the weather and in the people, which makes it easier for them to adapt, even if things are not quite the same as in Brazil. Also, Turkish teams still greet the relatively less-disciplined Brazilian players with tolerance -- another reason that these players are sticking to Turkey. At this point, there are 26 Brazilian players in the Spor Toto Super League clubs. When you add the players on the Bank Asya teams, it is not a small number at all. There is no question that Fenerbahçe’s captain, Alex de Souza, is at the peak of Brazilian players in Turkey. In fact, Alex enjoys life in Turkey so much that, if the conditions are right, he is considering applying for Turkish citizenship, just like Nobre and Vederson before him. Another very successful Brazilian player in Turkey these days is Melo, who plays for Galatasaray. He often mentions how much he likes it here. His love of life in Turkey is evidenced by the fact that he has already announced that he does not wish to return to Juventus at the end of the season. The greatest number of Brazilian players in the Spor Toto Super League play for Beşiktaş and Mersin İdman Yurdu.