Brian Winter: evaluation

Transcript context

…Here’s a question from a reader, and I quote, “Does the change in the style of play of Brazil’s national soccer team over the last 20 years (more disciplined and rigorous with fewer players free to create) a result of a change in the national culture or vibe?” I think that Brazilians would probably tell you that, actually, the soccer team has not evolved enough. I would gently point out — because I know that there are Brazilian listeners here who will recoil when I say this — but it has been 22 years since Brazil won the last World Cup, which is quite serious for a country that has won five World Cups over the years, more than any other country. There’s a real view that I hear from people in the country that, actually, part of the problem is that improvisation and talent are not enough anymore, and that Brazilian soccer really needs to professionalize. Now, they continue to produce amazing players — Neymar, Vinicius Jr., and others — but they also have another disadvantage, which is that so many more of their players these days play club soccer in Europe. If you look back at the golden age, the age with Pelé, these were players who played almost entirely on teams within Brazil, who knew each other, and perhaps that was an advantage as well. Do you think there’s something about the Brazilian spirit or national psyche that somehow worked better in the world of the 1950s and ’60s, where improvisation was more relevant, maybe more productive in a lot of areas? Cinema — you have a movie such as Black Orpheus. I’m sure you know it. Is there anything comparable today that has global force? A Brazilian movie, a something. What would it be?…

Stored transcript either side of the excerpt. The highlighted words are the published quote; the surrounding text is unedited source, never generated.