Favela firecrackers: How three of Brazil’s most scintillating footballers came from the slums

Some of the country's poorest communities gave rise to its brightest stars

Football and Brazil – it's hard to think of a more fitting duo. Whenever we talk about football, Brazilians are part of the discussion. This talk weaves its way through Latin culture as well - samba, Carnival, Copacabana Beach, the Amazon, and last but not least, the favelas.

Favela, in Brazil, means a slum or shantytown located within or on the outskirts of the country’s large cities, especially Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Favelas are fruitful places for the creation of culture and obviously, footballers.

The favelas have special significance to the football culture of Brazil, mainly because some of the most prominent footballers from the nation are Cariocas, who grew up playing and watching football in and around the Rio favelas.

Here are three of the brightest stars the favelas produced:

RIVALDO

Rivaldo was born on Apr 19, 1972 in a favela in Recife, Brazil. The Brazil legend was so poor that he lost teeth and became bow-legged at a young age as his parents couldn’t afford to feed him. In his teens, Rivaldo lost his father in a tragic car crash. Still, he grew up to win both the Champions League and World Cup.

Rivaldo made his club debut in 1989 with Paulista. He played for several clubs before joining the Palmeiras team, which won Brazil’s national championship in 1994. He moved to Spain two years later after signing for Deportivo de la Coruña and was part of Brazil’s bronze-medal-winning team at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

In 1997 FC Barcelona spent $25.7 million to acquire Rivaldo as a replacement for Ronaldo in the Blaugrana shirt. In the first year, Rivaldo helped Barcelona win the Spanish La Liga championship. The team retained it in 1999. For two consecutive years, he was the league’s top goal-scorer.

The following year, Rivaldo played a massive role in leading Brazil to the World Cup final which they lost 3-0 to Zidane’s France. In 1999 he was a key part of Brazil’s successful run to grab the Copa América.

Rivaldo was named Player of the Year by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in 1999, topping superstar David Beckham. Three years later, Rivaldo joined Italian giants AC Milan, but his performance there was largely lacklustre. In 2004 he returned to Brazil to play at Cruzeiro. Near the end of his career, the legend moved to Greece later, where he played first for Olympiacos and then for AEK Athens.

RONALDO

Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, better known to the world as Ronaldo, was born near the favelas of Rio de Janeiro on Sept 18, 1976. Ronaldo was the youngest of three siblings and dropped out of school at the age of 12.

Ronaldo started his football career by playing for some small youth clubs in Rio. But soon he moved to the historic Rio club Sao Cristovao, where he grabbed the spotlight as a budding young Brazilian star. After his time at Sao Cristovao, Ronaldo joined his first professional club, Cruzeiro.

Ronaldo grew even more prominent during his time at Cruzeiro, leading the club to its first Brazil Cup championship in 1993. The 17-year-old leading a small-town club to its first Brazil Cup championship was more than enough to catch the interest of the Brazilian national team and Ronaldo was included in the 1994 World Cup squad.

After the World Cup in 1994, Ronaldo transferred to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He averaged nearly a goal per game against some of the best European teams of that time. Just like Rivaldo, Ronaldo also joined FC Barcelona, but later moved to AC Milan’s hometown rivals Inter after four years, where he won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

During these years, Ronaldo was one of the greatest players and strikers in the world. Possessing an unstoppable combination of speed and power that ploughed through defenders. Not only was this Cariocas a spectacle, but he will be enshrined as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

RONALDINHO

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, nicknamed Ronaldinho, was born in a wooden hut in a favela in Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul on Mar 21, 1980. As a child, he lived near the Estádio Olímpico, Grêmio’s spiritual home and always dreamed of a professional career in football.

Ronaldinho began playing in youth club matches by the time he was eight. He first roused media attention when, as a 13-year-old, he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team.

Recognised as a rising star, he made his senior debut in the 1998 Copa Libertadores. In 2001, he eventually signed a five-year agreement with the French club Paris Saint-Germain. He was a member of Brazil's 2002 World Cup-winning team, where he played an active role in assisting his team to glory. It was his first World Cup and he scored the game-winning score in a quarter-final victory over England.

Along with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, he formed a part of the great 3R attacking trio that made the Brazilian team one of the most formidable opponents in international football.

Ronaldinho joined the Spanish club FC Barcelona and earned great triumphs over the next few years, winning back-to-back FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2004 and 2005. He is widely considered one of the best players of his generation.

The great 3R of world football came from Brazil's slums and took their country to the top of the football pyramid for a record fifth time. Their achievements show us how determination, hard work, and talent can open doors to new worlds.

This article was written for Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication with a focus on culture and society from a youth perspective.