Mirandinha says England players will find it hard to breathe in Manaus

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/28/mirandinha-england-newcastle-united-brazil-world-cup

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There is a small section in the museum at Fortaleza’s Estádio de Futebol Castelão where pictures of Tyneside enjoy surprising prominence. Mirandinha, the first Brazilian to play in English football after moving to Newcastle United for more than £500,000 in 1987, is an icon in the city that will host six World Cup matches this summer, but it is the 54-year-old’s time in the north-east that evokes some of his fondest memories.

“I still think about Newcastle,” reflects Mirandinha, who speaks about England with wistful nostalgia. “I love Newcastle and was so happy there. English football for me was very, very important because I was the first Brazilian to play there. The first three months were horrible because I had never been in this situation before, I’d never played in snow. It was difficult but after a while I had a chance to play well.”

Mirandinha made his debut for Newcastle in a 1-1 draw at Norwich City, a game that Paul Gascoigne started in midfield. His arrival was much trumpeted and, cleared to play only two hours before kick-off, he gave a rare glimpse of a player from an exotic country whose stars had previously only been viewed on TV screens.

The Guardian match report of the game, published on 2 September 1987, captured the expectation among the crowd at Carrow Road. Stephen Bierley wrote: “After what seemed an interminable wait, the man finally arrived. Excitement was intense, and speculation. Would he score? Would he get sent off? – the night was clear, and a little sultry – Rio in winter. Norwich – were in no mood to let the evening become a Brazilian carnival, although perhaps their yellow shirts made Mirandinha feel just a little bit at home. Fortunately they did not confuse him. ‘Mirandinha, Mirandinha’ chanted the Geordie choir jubilantly.”

Newcastle’s boy from Brazil could not mark his debut with a goal during a game in which he was often foiled by Steve Bruce in the heart of Norwich’s defence, but he was given a raucous reception by the travelling fans. Willie McFaul, Newcastle’s manager at the time, said: “He’s come here, he’s been thrown in at the last moment and he excites me.”

There is another moment from that day that sticks out in Mirandinha’s mind. “I remember my first game when we played against Norwich City,” he says. “Inside the bus they brought us fish and chips and chicken and chips for us to eat after the game. The bus started to leave and Gazza told me to go over to Mr Willy and tell him: ‘Mr Willy I am fucking starving.’ I didn’t know what it meant so I went to Mr Willy and said ‘boss I am fucking starving I need to eat some food’. All the boys started to laugh with me. That was the first funny story but there were so many.”

Mirandinha stayed with Newcastle for two seasons before moving back to Palmeiras in Brazil, never becoming a prolific player for the club but making a significant impression nonetheless.

He was also a local celebrity in Newcastle during the late 1980s. The black-and-white photos in Fortaleza’s stadium appear as if from a bygone era. Mirandinha and Gascoigne are shown next to a white van surrounded by pupils from Castle Dene school, but the one that catches the eye is of the Brazilian riding a sleigh down Northumberland Street to switch on the Christmas lights. “All the Brazilian players, when we started to play at a high level, were thinking about playing in Europe,” he says. “It was normal and for me it was fantastic. I played for big clubs in Brazil but when I had the chance to go to Europe it was fantastic.

“I still have contact with Lee Clark and Paul Gascoigne. I speak with Paul, not regularly because he has a few problems sometimes. But he was fantastic and gave me a lot of support when I was there. I’m so glad that I was there with these people, it was very important for my career to play in England.

“Gazza, he’s a crazy boy. Then he was only 19-years-old so you can imagine how Gazza was. He was a fantastic guy for me, we were good together and I was happy there with him and other players like Darren Jackson from Scotland. I was very settled there and happy in Newcastle.”

Mirandinha now manages the impressive Castelão stadium, which will host Brazil versus Mexico among other games at the World Cup. He fears for the European players who have to play in the equatorial climate of Manaus – “when I went there it was difficult to breathe” – but is optimistic of the Seleção’s chances in the tournament.

“We have a good chance to be in the final because we are here, with our people, the Brazilian people will be together with the national team,” says Mirandinha. “We have now a very good coach, [Luiz Felipe] Scolari is the best coach for Brazil in this moment and we have top, top players in Europe. They will be important because a lot of players in the national team play in Europe and they know how everyone plays, they have a lot of information for Scolari. Brazil have a great chance to be in the final.”

Mirandinha’s time in Newcastle ended when Jim Smith took over from McFaul and became frustrated with “Wor Mira”, who struggled with an achilles injury. However, England’s first Brazilian import paved the way for many to follow.