In Brazil nothing is more important than football. If England is the birthplace of football then Brazil – the five-time World Cup winners and home of Pelé, Romário, Ronaldo, Neymar and the rest – is the heart and soul of the game. Jogo Bonito – meaning ‘the beautiful game’ – takes you on a journey through the Wild West of Brazilian football. On the way we meet an eclectic cast of characters, such as Mario Zagallo, the four-time World Cup winner; the long, lost son of Garrincha; Brazil’s best-loved bad boy player turned politician, Romário; and many more. We take a trip to an away game with the country’s most violent hooligans, visit the home of the world’s largest amateur football tournament and enjoy a boozy dinner with South America’s most famous commentator – he of ‘goooooooool’ fame. Jogo Bonito is a history, a travelogue and a gonzo-style report into a country which has the sixth biggest economy in the world and yet questionable records on education, healthcare and corruption. The result is a book that not only tells the story of Brazilian football, but also of today’s Brazil.

Brazil is one of the most important but puzzling countries in the world. A nation of 200 million people, it has vast natural resource reserves, rich cultural traditions, a middle class undergoing explosive growth, and social welfare policies that are models for much of the world ('la bolsa familia,' which provides a guaranteed income to poor families). And, after decades of authoritarian rule, it is a stable democracy. Yet it is beset by problems that no other advanced economy suffers from: staggeringly high crime rates, sky-high inequality levels, and endemic political corruption. Emblematic of these two sides of Brazil is the selection of Rio as site of both the next Summer Olympics and the next World Cup. While the choice of Rio for these events points to Brazil's expanding presence on the world stage, so far the construction and planning for the events have been disastrous, threatening to deeply embarrass the nation. In Brazil: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Riordan Roett, an eminent scholar of Brazil and Latin America, will provide a rich overview of Brazil, covering Brazilian society, politics, culture, and the economy. The book begins with a series of chapters on Brazilian history, beginning with the pre-colonial period and moving on, in succession, to the long era of Portuguese rule, the birth of independent Brazil, the emergence of modern Brazil in the 1930s, the era of the dictators, and - finally - to the democratic regime that came into being in the 1980s. Throughout the book, Roett will focus sharply on the fault lines -- racial, economic, political, and cultural - that have plagued Brazil from its beginnings to this day. As the 2016 World Cup and Summer Olympics approach, interest in Brazil is sure to rise. Roett's synthesis will provide interested readers with an accessible, authoritative overview of this troubled yet fascinating giant.

Brazil’s national soccer team is one of the best in the world. Readers will learn which players make this team so dynamic, and how they’ve helped this team win.

Learn to speak like a local before you hit the streets of Sao Paulo or beaches of Rio de Janeiro with this pocket-sized Brazilian Portuguese-English phrasebook. With this book in hand you can get off the sideline and join the local Brazilians as they party from the pitch to the beach. Chock-full of up-to-date slang phrases, after-hours expressions and insider information on futebol, this book will have you cheering, dancing, drinking and celebrating with the die-hard fans of the beautiful game. What’s up, man? Iaí, cara? Can I join your pickup game? Posso bater uma pelada com vocês? Where is a cool bar to watch the game? Onde tem um barzinho legal pra assitir o jogo? Next round’s on me. A proxima rodada é minha. We’re all going to an underground dance club, wanna join? A gente vai pra um baile funk, tá afim? That girl in the VIP section is super hot. Aquela mina no camarote é muito gostosa. Let’s sleep off our hangovers at the beach. Vamos curar a ressaca na praia.

A first-of-its-kind investigative book on the least examined and most important topic in sports today. Youth sports isn't just orange slices and all-star trophies anymore. It's 14-year-olds who enter high school with a decade of football experience, 9-year-olds competing for national baseball championships, 5-year-old golfers who shoot par, and toddlers made from sperm donated (for a fee) by elite college athletes. It's a year-round "travel team" in every community--and parents who fear that not making the cut in grade school will cost their kid the chance to play in high school. In short, a landscape in which performance often matters more than participation, all the way down to peewee basketball. Much as Fast Food Nation challenged our eating habits and Silent Spring rewired how we think about the environment, Tom Farrey's Game On will forever change the way we look at this desperate culture besotted by the example of Tiger Woods. An Emmy award-winning reporter, Farrey examines the lives of child athletes and the consequences of sorting the strong from the weak at ever earlier ages: fewer active kids, testier sidelines, rising obesity rates, and U.S. national teams that rarely win world titles. He dives into the world of these games that are played by more than 30 million boys and girls, and along the way uncovers some surprising truths. When the very best athletes enter organized play. The best approach to coaching them. And the powerful influence of wealth and genetics. Farrey has written a surprising, alarming, thoughtful, and ultimately empowering book for anyone who wants the best for the newest generation of Americans, as athletes and citizens. From the Hardcover edition.

Details the history, great players, and famous moments of the FIFA World Cup.

Neymar is one of the most popular Brazilian soccer stars ever and one of the youngest players to achieve international acclaim. Beloved by his fans and feared by his opponents, Neymar is famous for his skills, and his antics, on and off the field. After playing for his hometown team and Brazil's national team, he moved on to top European teams. This biography delves into Neymar's background and how it gave rise to his soccer career. Photographs, sidebars, and firsthand quotes guide readers along his amazing journey.