It is not, then, like the debate about the end of great heavyweight boxers in the United States, where young people now turn to basketball, baseball or American football to pursue their dreams. There are still 1,169 professional Brazilian footballers across the globe, including 606 in the top divisions of the 40 European nations. This is more than any other country. They also had more than double the Champions League participants (52 to 23) of England last season, although you have seriously to question whether the transfer of so many young Brazilian players to Europe is healthy for their development.