The sensitive issue of calling up naturalised Brasilians to our selecção has been around since Deco's first inclusion back in 2003. At first, highly respected team members such as Luis Figo and Rui Costa opposed the decision, and criticized the direction taken by the FPF. However, they later recognized Deco's immense value, and accepted him as one of their own.
Fast forward seven years, and two more Brasilians have joined the ranks - Pepe and Liedson. There is no questioning the talent of these three Luso-Brasileiros, however, there still exists a fundamental debate here. Is it acceptable to be naturalizing Brasilians, and having them take the place of a Portuguese born player, when there are in fact so many to choose from? I will be the first to admit that Pepe, Deco, and Liedson are simply better at what they do than anybody else in Portuguese soccer, as they are simply that good. However, is it acceptable to do this?
Many other successful, proven footballing nations including the likes of Spain, Germany, Croatia, Japan, Italy, France, Sweden, England, etc. have all used or still use naturalised players, so this concept is not new or isolated by any means. The problem here is knowing where to draw the line. If the boundary continually gets pushed further and further, then the national teams won't really represent the country on the jersey anymore, and it'll simply become another level of club football. In Portugal's defense, they can at least argue Brasil was once a colony, and that there are a lot of Portuguese roots still in Brasil.
Anyway, I'm a huge fan of Deco, Liedson, and Pepe, and they've definitely helped our national team a great deal, however, I'm a little wary of naturalising anyone else at this point. What do you think?
Posts
