Football in Brazil
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As in many countries, football came to Brazil at the feet of English expatriates. In Brazil, the father of football was Charles William Miller, the son of a railroad employee. Miller, who was born in Brazil, went to England to study at public school. There he became an enthusiatic footballer and upon his return to Brazil, he brought with him two footballs. He proceeded to convert the British expatriate community in São Paulo from cricket players to footballers, creating the first football club in Brazil.
Football quickly became a passion for Brazilians, who often refer to Brazil as "o país do futebol" ("the football country"). Over 10,000 Brazilians play professionally at home and all over the world.
One unique aspect of football in Brazil is the existence and importance of the state championships. For much of the early development of the game in Brazil the nation's size and the lack of rapid transport made national competitions unfeasible, so the competition centered around state tournaments and sometimes inter-state competitions, such as the Torneio Rio-São Paulo. Even today, despite the existence of a national tournament, the state tournaments continue to be hotly contested and the intra-state rivalries remain intense.