FUTEBOL THE BRAZILIAN WAY OF LIFE                               www.ofutebol.com Weekly Newsletter, 02 Feb 2006

Hi futebolista, Two Brazilians are earning rave reviews at Real Madrid. Not Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo, but European football newcomers Cicinho and Robinho. The former scored his first goal for the club last weekend, while Robinho continued his fabulous run of form by scoring the winning goal, as Real beat Celta Vigo - it's no wonder Beckham, Messi and Parreira have been signing his praises. It's been mixed emotions for Ronaldinho this week. He was unjustly sent-off as Barcelona crashed out of the King's Cup against Real Zaragoza, but did receive homage from Pele, who declared that the 25-year-old does things with the ball that even he couldn't. One man not in the Ronaldinho fan club, though, is his Barca team-mate Samuel Eto'o, who believes it is he - and not the Brazilian icon - that is the best player on the planet. With Brazil's friendly against Russia forthcoming, Sao Paulo wingback Junior has been advocating his inclusion in the squad, claiming he's a better player than both Gustavo Nery and Gilberto. And in-form Flamengo ace Leonardo is dreaming of robbing Cafu or Cicinho of a place in the squad. Palmeiras and Goias both eased into the second phase of the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday, with impressive aggregate victories over Venezuelan and Ecuadorian opposition, respectively. But there were surprises in the Rio State Championships, with Vasco, Fluminense and Flamengo all failing to reach the last four. America, Americano, Botafogo and Cabofriense will contest the semi-finals of the Taca Guanabara. Sao Paulo have signed Alex Dias from Vasco, and also want Sporting Lisbon striker Deivid. Flamengo's attention has turned to Sevilla front runner Luis Fabiano. Over in Italy, Cesar has swapped Lazio for Inter Milan, while Milan want Udinese's highly-rated Brazilian defender Felipe for next season. Have a great weekend, amigos. Ate logo... Alex, Ian & Mark (the Ofutebol team) * * * * * * * * Futebolarte.com * * * * * * * * Here at Ofutebol towers we've been putting our energies into looking good for the World Cup. Allan Sieber, possibly the coolest cartoonist in Brazil, has designed as an excellent T-shirt. It's a tribute to Garrincha and is now available for just £15. Click here to check it out * * * * * * * * Sponsored Links * * * * * * * * William Hill offers odds on a range of matches from around the world. Visit the William Hill website * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Forward To a Friend Unsubscribe to our Newsletter Visit: www.ofutebol.com