During a game, Brazilian footballers are capable of forgetting even the objective of scoring in the knowledge that virtue without joy, is contradiction.

Winning or losing, they are the champions of the passion aroused by the ball.

Brazil, the Land of Football, where the likes of Pele, Vava, Didi and Jairzinho thrilled the world with their attacking, entertaining, beautiful style of football.

The latter, Jairzinho is currently touring this country and treating the people of Kerry to some amazing ball skills that, to the naked eye, sometimes defy logic.

One thing that you didn t see and will never see is a Brazilian player bending down to pick up a ball.

It s not that they have a problem with their backs - they just prefer not to.

For Jairzinho, picking up a ball with his hands is an unnecessary exertion. It s something like breaking down a door when you have a key to the lock.

Strangely enough, most of the Samba boys don t like to use their arms either, which may sound strange in Kerry, as our sporting heroes have turned themselves into small gods with the use of both.

Jairzinho, like any other Brazilian player, uses his arms as mere stabilisers, utensils to stop him falling over, while their superior colleagues, their feet, go about their business.

Present day Brazilian managers heap praise on the South American teams of old but, if the truth were told, the Samba boy s style of soccer is fading fast.

Former coaches have said that today s top Brazilian players belong to a category of player which is dying, even on the Cococabana beaches.

Today s players are more of a reincarnation of the great players that pop up all over the pitch, in fact the p r e s e nt side is strangely enough, t oo Brazilian.

Jairzinho had his own views about the present state of the beautiful game in his own country.

"Brazil are going through a rough patch at the moment. They are coming in for a lot of criticism when they play their matches," the star of the 1970 World Cup final told The Kingdom during a visit to Killarney.

"People have got to remember that Brazil never had to qualify for tournaments. They are new to the whole qualifying scenario but they will still qualify and will also have learned a few things in the process," the former Brazilian winger remarked.

Known throughout the soccer world as God he was born on 25 December 1944 Jair Ventura Filho soon became known throughout the soccer world as Jairzinho and he shone on Brazil s 1970 World Cup win. With a record goal in every round of the tournament, his cannonball shot and electric turn of pace rendered the best of defences useless.

After a brief time in Europe with Marseille, Jairzinho went on to win over 80 caps for Brazil, including his Tappearance in the 1974 finals.

Today, though, he points out that a lot of the national team s problems stem from the fact that 99 per cent of their players ply their trade outside of the South American country. "The manager has less time to prepare for the major games. Most of the players play with clubs in Italy and Spain along with other leagues and they are arriving only two days before each game, whereas we would meet at least one week before we played," he said.

"Players need time to adjust, when they haven t seen each other in a long time. They can t be expected to go out and play brilliant football when they have only one or two days together, it s just not possible," Jairzinho said.

The way the great winger speaks of the bygone days in Brazilian football, you get the impression that he would love to see the present national side emulate the great teams of the 70s.

Here in Ireland, Jairzinho is spreading the football gospel. He hopes to teach some of the Kerry school children some of the skills that he learned over 50 years ago on the streets of Caxias, one of the shanty towns just outside Rio de

Janeiro.

In the 1966 finals, at age 15, he was able to play alongside his boyhood hero,

Garrincha. Eventually, Jairzinho was a worthy successor to Garrincha and his devastating bursts of speed, combined with lethal shooting, were one of the highlights of the great 1970 World Cup.

He began on the left wing and at centre forward with Botafogo and gained his chance on the right, when Garrincha was injured.

His international debut was against Portugal in the 1964, in the Little World Cup and two years later he appeared in the World Cup proper in England. With Garrincha recalled, though, Jairzinho switched to the left flank and was not as effective.

Brazil bowed out in the first round and many thought that it was the end of Jairzinho as he suffered two bad injuries.

He compares his injuries then to another present Samba star, Ronaldo, who has suffered from a serious knee injury over the last two years.

Jairzinho discovered Ronaldo as a 12-year old on the streets of Rio and saw him develop into one of best strikers but Jairzinho has a few doubts over the immediate future of the Inter striker.

" I think that he will come back and maybe be the same as he was four years ago but, at the moment, I m just hoping that he can recover from the last knee operation," Jairzinho told The Kingdom.

The great Brazilian winger knows all about serious injuries. In 1970, he recovered twice from a broken right leg and he became the only player to score in every round, including the final.

His seven goals were second only to Gerd M¸ller's ten and Jairzinho's came in many forms delicate chips and powerful shooting.

His winner against England was one of the tournament's most memorable goals but he was also a goalmaker and split defences with superb passing. Although he will be remembered for beating Gordon Banks for that great goal, he thinks that the England goalkeeper was the best in the

world.

"Banks was the b e st keeper in the world and there will never be another keeper like him in the history of the game. "In that game, I had two chances and scored one goal. He saved the other and also saved many other shots from many other Brazilian players that day," Jairzinho recalls.

He appeared in the 1974 World Cup too but ,without players like Pelè in support, he was not as effective.

He later played for Olympique Marseille but soon returned to Rio. Jairzinho won more than 80 caps, the last when he was in his 38th year.

 

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