Europe may be the focal point of the international game, but the best soccer is still played in South America.
Ten months after Brazilian club Corinthians lifted the inaugural World Club Cup, Argentina’s Boca Juniors won the Toyota Cup, beating Real Madrid, 2-1, in Tokyo for world bragging rights.
That clubs like Corinthians and Boca continue to knock off their rich cousins in Europe is remarkable considering the economic pressures they face.
River Plate, Boca’s archrival back in Buenos Aires, was in the news with words from one of its directors dismissing reports that it intends to sell young stars Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola to European clubs. A sure sign that River will indeed sell Aimar and Saviola.
River Plate is one of the richest clubs in South America – its nickname is the Millionaires – but it can’t compete against the giants of Italian and Spanish soccer.
In Brazil, it’s even worse. According to a study, there were 417 Brazilians playing abroad in 1998 – and that was only at the First Division level.
South America has rightly earned a reputation for producing the best players in the world. Brazil is the only four-time World Cup champion. Argentina is the only team to win two titles in the last quarter century. Uruguay won the first World Cup title in 1930 – and repeated as world champion 20 years later.
Unfortunately, South America has developed a reputation for violence. Unlike Europe, where most of the problems are in the stands, South America has a major problem on the field.
And the problem is at the highest levels.
Penarol and Nacional, which have seven Libertadores Cup titles between them, gave South American soccer a black eye with their mass brawl so ugly that nine players were jailed.
In a week when we should all remember the exploits of Boca in Tokyo, it’s hard not forget the images of violence from Montevideo.