Never did I think when I decided to make this blog – World Cup – the view from Rio – that less than two weeks after starting it, I would be able to give the view from inside the England hotel and write about when I met the players. But amazingly today, this is what I can do.
It started out like any ordinary day. The day before I’d been to the England team hotel here in Rio
and managed to catch a glimpse of the players training in the gym and later on managed to get a picture outside the Netherlands hotel with Patrick Kluivert. (see my previous post https://worldcupviewfromrio.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/worldcupstars/) I wasn’t expecting it to get better than that, in the morning I had a few errands to do, as I sat down to have lunch
I got a text from my new mate Luca (also from the day before) seeing if I fancied going back to the hotel to try our luck again. It wasn’t the best weather, cloudy, rainy and on the chilly side for Rio, I hesitated, wondering if it was worth spending the afternoon waiting outside some hotel gates again with the faint hope a player might show pity and come out for a photo or to sign something. It didn’t take me long though to think, not for the first time, why not?!- When else will I be at a World Cup in Brazil?! Maybe today would be the day players would fancy a stroll outside the hotel. The decision was made and off I hurried to get a bike and sped over to Ipanema to meet my new fellow autograph hunter Luca. Continue reading The stuff Dreams are made of. Inside the England hotel, meeting the players… Part one→
I didn’t have much to do yesterday, the sun was shining and i’d seen the pictures the day before of newspapers around the world showing a few England players -Sturridge, Henderson, Welbeck as well as manager Roy Hodgson – venture outside their hotel and onto the beach, without security and take photos with fans without problem. I wanted to get involved in the action. After cycling along the most popular beaches Copacabana and Ipanema (where the Dutch team are staying) and not seeing anybody, I took my chances and headed off to the much quieter São Canrado where the England team are staying, check out the pics as I arrived ….
Outside the Royal Tulip, England hotel
Part of Englands security as Sturridge and others arrived back to the hotel
Sturridge and others arrive back from their favela trip
Me and my new pal Luka, fellow LFC fans looking to find some players outside the hotel
Military boat patrolling outside the hotel
Extremely calm and relaxed São Canrado beach right outside the England hotel
…Not long after arriving I got chatting to Luka, a cool dude born in Brazil but living in New York. Big LFC fan as well. He soon became my partner in crime as we tried to hunt for players. There was a surprisingly small crowd of around 20 fans and journalists outside the England hotel, the Royal Tulip. An hour or so after arriving a local guy walked past and casually said – “All the team are training in the gym, you can see through the window! ” We rushed down the other end and got to see most the team training only about 25 foot away. Even got a wave from England and Liverpool captain Stevie Gerrard and 2 from Jordan Henderson much to our amusement as me and a couple of others sang the Steve Gerrard Gerrard song. At times I felt like a 12 year old Just Bieber fan but f*** it, when am I going to be in Brazil for a World Cup again?! photos below of the training session …
Stevie on the weights
Stevie G and Hendo
Liverpools new signing Rickie Lambert
Jack Wilshere
The Ox loving a chicken dance
The Ox fighting his way back to fitness
Welbeck and others
ENGLAND CAPTAIN STEVIE GERRARD
Chris Smalling and others
…As it got dark we decided to head off back to Ipanema where a friend had told me Stan Collymore was knocking about. We couldn’t find Stan in the end but we did walk past the Netherlands hotel and see Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert come out, just about managed to stop him for a photo. We hung about and saw a few lesser known Dutch players coming out to a car, Ron Vlaar of Aston Villa was one. We met one Brazilian kid who had been waiting 6 hours for Robin Van Persie to arrive back and get his autograph, this kid spoke barely a word of English but knew every word to most the English football chants, hope he got the autograph in the end but it was enough for me for one day.
Me and Patrick Kluivert, saw him coming out of the Holland team hotel
In all it was a successful day, we had a good laugh and didn’t wait around too much. Might give it another go today and try get a snap with one of the England players. We did end up with our photo on a Brazilian website, got interviewed by Chinese journalists and had a article wrote about the player and us fans, particularly referencing us in the most famous Brazilian newspaper. ( Not bad for a random wander out!
Yesterday morning the England team landed at 8.30am local time here in Rio de Janeiro. Once the players arrived at their hotel in São Conrado it didn’t take long for a few of them to go for a wander along the beach – without any security ! Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, Chris Smalling and Danny Welbeck were the ones who ventured out, along with Manager Roy Hodgson and his assistant – ex Man United – Gary Neville. The players were Continue reading England team arrive in Rio – The view from the Brazilian Newspapers→
Our friend Jardel painting outside our apartment this morning
We left our apartment this morning to see our friend Jardel Gomes de Souza painting this wicked Brazil flag on the floor. Not only that, but he was also in the process of painting an England flag as well. Legend!
I’ve rounded up some other photos from the Internet of the street painting and decorations around the city.
World Cup fever has certainly took a while to get going, as mentioned in previous posts, but now as we approach the final week of the countdown, the city is really starting to come alive with excitement, a buzzing atmosphere and the vibrant colour of Brazil (and England!) popping up everywhere with just 5 days to go!!
Brazil goes into every World Cup expecting to win – so when it is in Brazil it is expected even more. You can’t understand what the World Cup means to our country.
Ronaldinho explains what it will be like to have a World Cup on home soil
After playing football with some friends last night I got talking to a Brazilian who is adamant about the “fact”…. that the 2014 World Cup is rigged. The whole thing.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the final will be Brazil vs Argentina
So with just a week to go until kick off, Sâo Paulo, where the first game will be held, has been hit by train strikes. Last week there were 2 days of bus strikes here in Rio, and even parts of the Federal Police i’m told have been on strike too.
“HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?!” You say ! “THIS WILL BE A DISASTER!” people say. “THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN IN ENGLAND!” I’ve heard.
Well I just made that up, but literally everysingle Brazilian I have spoken to here doesn’t hesitate for a second when I ask – “Who do you think will win the World Cup?” “Brazil of course!!” tends to be the answer. I asked someone earlier if they thought that as Brazil are on home soil, “No”, he said, “it’s because we’re Brazil”. Favourites also with the bookmakers, maybe their confidence isn’t misguided? Continue reading 98% of Brazilians think they’ll win the World Cup→
“That’s great, tell him he’s Pele and get him back on.”
–John Lambie, manager of Partick Thistle , when told a concussed striker did not know who he was
Not necessarily a World Cup quote, but still to this day there aren’t many a player who can compare to Pele when he was at his best years ago. A true legend and Brazilian icon.
9 days to go… the weather is starting to heat up again here in Rio, we temperatures set to be 31 again by the weekend. As I walked around this morning I noticed a couple more flags hanging out of windows and for the first time saw a Brazil flag being painted on the street. Perhaps the locals reluctance to celebrate the World Cup, in protest at the government spending, is starting to wain as Kick off draws ever close.
9 days…
9 – Daniel Sturridge – England’s Number 9 who has had a great season for Liverpool. Not as well known in Brazil at the moment as the likes of Gerrard and Rooney. Could he make a real name for himself in this World Cup?
9 – Biggest Winning margin in one World Cup Match –
Hungary v El Salvador (1982) 10-1
Hungary v South Korea (1954) 9-0
Yugoslavia v Zaïre (1974) 9-0
Funny to think the World Cup starts smack bang in the middle of Winter here… I wonder if the hoards of tourists coming over have even thought to check the weather? Seen a few strikingly pale tourists wondering round in the rain in nothing but havaianas, shorts and a vest looking a bit confused.
Last week we had lows of 16 and rain… not quite the sun kissed image of Copacabana beach many will have! But don’t worry…. the bad weather never lasts long here. 28 and a beautiful day again today, set to be 31 by Friday. Not bad for Winter eh?
Now we’re just 10 days away from the first game kicking off in São Paulo and the atmosphere around the city is…. rather subdued. It’s a strange one, due to the furore surrounding the amount of money the government have spent on the new stadiums, (especially concerning ones in areas such as Manaus, where they really are not needed and 300 million pounds has been spent) it has created an odd vibe around the country.
It’s my first World Cup in Brazil but people tell me normally the streets are all painted, flags in every car and apartment window. It couldn’t be much more different as Brazil prepares for a World Cup on home soil. Driving round the city you’ll see very few of the famous green and yellow flags waving about. I even put two huge England flags in our apartment window to attempt to goad our neighbours into putting up their Brazilian ones and starting some kind of flag revolution throughout the city. That was a week or so ago and unfortunately it’s yet to take affect….
World Cup 2014 - View from Rio 