The Premier League may now be full of South American stars these days, but things were much different 30 years ago.
This week, ESPN managed an interview with Mirandinha, who was the first Brazilian to ever play in the English top flight during his years at Newcastle United.
“My trip to England was something very important for me, because I felt not only valued there, but felt prestigious to be Brazilian, for being the first to play there”, said the former player.
“When I went to play for Brazil against England at the Stanley Rous, I was already discreetly negotiating with a friend here in São Paulo. It turned out that he met a person connected to the agent of Nigel Mansell, the British racer.
“So this person started to take my material (videos, information) from here, put in the hand of this friend and this material began to arrive at Newcastle through Malcolm Macdonald, who was one of the greatest scorers in Newcastle’s history.”
The striker said his performances for the club resulted in praise from some of the greatest league legends: “I received many compliments at the time from sacred monsters of English football, of British football. Such as George Best, who was one of the greatest players in the history of the United Kingdom. Kevin Keegan said very good things. And the great Malcolm Macdonald.”
“For me, the greatest player in England since I know I can remember was Gascoigne. The second was the defensive midfielder who played in the national team, and at Manchester United for many years, Bryan Robson.”
The 57-year-old, who now works as a manager for small clubs, explained he’s very grateful for the opportunity he had to play for the Magpies: “Newcastle not only gave me the opportunity to become a pioneer. But also to speak English today, which I do normally.”
