In Sao Paulo, Brazil, two teams called Arsenal face each other.<\/p>\n
The dirt pitch is rock hard, cracks coursing through its uneven surface. On one side of the pitch, housing cascades out of the hillside. On the other, a forest erupts.<\/p>\n
Dragonflies buzz just above head height. Beyond them, a canopy of kites. Teenagers from the nearby favela are playing combat kite<\/em> \u2014 an aerial duel in which kite strings are laced with glass powder to cut down rivals. The ash rising from the pitchside barbecue mingles with the blue and white smoke of supporters\u2019 flares.<\/p>\n On the field, a swinging elbow prompts a flurry of protests. There\u2019s a scuffle among the players, coaches invade the pitch, and the referee\u2019s mother is subject to some scurrilous accusations from the sidelines.<\/p>\n This is varzea <\/em>\u2014 the name for Brazilian grassroots football.<\/p>\n The term derives from the Portuguese word for \u2018flood plain\u2019 or \u2018open field\u2019. In the cradle of play nice<\/em>this is the game at its most raw.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s amateur football, played in communities all over Brazil,\u201d says Gilberto Silva, a Premier League champion with Arsenal and World Cup winner. \u201cIt\u2019s where I started playing.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s in good company there \u2014 names such as former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, and Barcelona forward Raphinha and Arsenal\u2019s own Gabriel Jesus can trace their origins back to varzea. But these amateur teams represent more than simply a route into professional sport.<\/p>\n \u201cFootball in the community is more than just a game,\u201d says Gilberto. \u201cIt\u2019s a way of life. It brings people together and allows them to represent who they are and where they come from.\u201d<\/p>\n The two teams in question are Arsenal Guarulhos and Arsenal Jacana, also known as Arsenal \u2018Source<\/em>\u2019 \u2014 which translates as \u201croots\u201d.<\/p>\n There are eight varzea teams in the Sao Paulo region that owe their name to Arsenal Football Club of London. They take their inspiration from different aspects of the club \u2014 the passion of its supporters, the powerful symbolism of the cannon, the remarkable feats of Gilberto and the Invincibles.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Brazil especially, football means everything,\u201d former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright says while watching the match unfold from a concrete dugout. \u201cThe country invests its soul into it. You see people crying over a Sunday game. That\u2019s what football is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the fact these teams are linked to Arsenal \u2014 that\u2019s because of Arsene Wenger. Before him, we were \u2018boring, boring Arsenal\u2019. He took our football around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a reminder of the responsibility the club has globally,\u201d adds Gilberto. \u201cPeople look up to Arsenal as a role model, not just a football club.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Gilberto Silva speaking to The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s James McNicholas in Brazil (Andre Havt\/Dirt Is Good)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This match in Sao Paulo commemorates an extraordinary tournament held in 2025. Dirt Is Good partnered with Arsenal to invite eight varzea teams to compete in a knockout competition \u2014 a battle of the Brazilian Arsenals.<\/p>\n The prize for the finalists of this \u2018Varzenal\u2019 tournament? The opportunity to play at the Emirates Stadium in London.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we heard about it, we thought it was a joke,\u201d says Neguinho, coach of Arsenal Jacana. \u201cWhen I played football as a kid, my dream was to play in England.\u201d<\/p>\n Eight teams competed for the right to play at the Emirates. As well as Jacana and Guarulhos, there were Arsenal Aclimacao, Arsenal Cid Tiradentes, Arsenal Jardim Senice, Arsenal Vila Suica, Arsenal EG and Arsenal Ipiranga.<\/p>\n The tournament was a festival of football. Varzea teams have dedicated local followings. They are often at the heart of their communities. In the midst of the pandemic, Raiz distributed food parcels among the Jacana neighbourhood. Those affiliated with the teams refer to the shirt as their \u201csecond skin\u201d.<\/p>\n It was Arsenal Guarulhos and Jacana who prevailed in the tournament, earning the right to travel to London in May 2025.<\/p>\n Wright and Gilberto attended the final at the Emirates, as well as this rematch in Sao Paulo. They understand the importance of grassroots football more than most.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in grassroots for so long,\u201d explains Wright. \u201cI started playing as a kid, then at 16 I was playing men\u2019s football at grassroots level. When trials didn\u2019t work out, grassroots was there for me to go back to. It gave me grounding \u2014 and belonging. The friendships, the community, feeling like you mattered.<\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up, with things at school and at home, I didn\u2019t feel important. But when I played grassroots, I felt like I mattered. People wanted me there. They knew I was good.<\/p>\n \u201cThat gave me camaraderie, teamwork, awareness of others. Everything you need to become a decent person, I got from grassroots and my community.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilberto offers a Brazilian perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in a very small village called Luziania, near Lagoa da Prata in southeastern Brazil,\u201d he tells The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cWhen I was a kid, becoming a professional footballer felt very far from reality \u2014 almost impossible. I grew up playing football in the streets, at school, with my friends and cousins. It wasn\u2019t until I was 16 that I had my first trial.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore football, I had to work. I worked in a sweets factory, in construction, wherever I could, to help my family. Between 14 and 16, my mother was very ill. As the oldest child, I had to help support my parents and my three younger sisters. It was about survival.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of that, when I had the chance to play football, I enjoyed it so much. I knew what real hardship was.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Gilberto Silva and Ian Wright in Brazil (Andre Havt\/Dirt Is Good)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A varzea game is a far cry from the Hackney Marshes where Wright started out.<\/p>\n The teams have dedicated support, and arrive replete with face paint, banners and percussion. Dogs patter enthusiastically around the perimeter of the pitch. It makes for a colourful carnival.<\/p>\n Wright and Gilberto recognise the role grassroots football played in their development.<\/p>\n \u201cIt totally shaped how I played professionally,\u201d says Wright. \u201cI went straight from Sunday morning football to the Second Division with Crystal Palace in 1985. I was 21.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I went to Palace, (manager) Steve Coppell understood where I came from. He told me, \u2018Never lose your imagination in the final third\u2019. If I\u2019d had a different manager who tried to take away my instinct \u2014 to beat a man, to shoot, to be direct \u2014 I don\u2019t think I\u2019d have been the same player.\u201d<\/p>\n The roots of Gilberto\u2019s style can also be found in the amateur game.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember being 13 or 14 and playing in the same team my father used to play for,\u201d he says. \u201cHe was always worried about me getting injured. He told me, \u2018Play simple. Don\u2019t keep the ball too long. These are big guys \u2014 they can hurt you\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cMy father\u2019s advice became a huge part of my game. He taught me to pass quickly and move. That lesson shaped the way I played throughout my career.\u201d<\/p>\n There is talent in these games, too. On these hard, erratic surfaces, technical skill is honed and celebrated. In varzea, the guy from the block becomes the star.<\/p>\n While a select few graduate to the professional game, many are destined to remain local legends.<\/p>\n \n Gilberto and Wright with the winning team Jacanda (or Raiz) (Andre Havt\/Dirt Is Good)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI played with some who were as good as anything I saw in the professional game,\u201d says Wright. \u201cMy dear friend Conrad \u2014 who sadly passed away in his fifties \u2014 and I played together at Ten Em Bee FC. I got him a trial at Crystal Palace too, and Steve Coppell liked him, but Conrad didn\u2019t take the chance.<\/p>\n \u201cHe definitely could\u2019ve made it. But he was a proper worker, he had a job, and taking the trial would\u2019ve meant giving that up. He didn\u2019t want to do it. It was crazy. Later on, things went the wrong way for him. It\u2019s heartbreaking. That\u2019s the tragic side of football \u2014 sliding doors. Talent alone isn\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n When Guarulhos and Jacana qualified for the final, they still found it difficult to believe they would be granted the opportunity to play in London.<\/p>\n \u201cI told my parents I was going to play at Arsenal in England,\u201d says Arsenal Guarulhos striker Ronaldo Henrique, 27. \u201cMy mother was worried it was a hoax.\u201d<\/p>\n But in May 2025, the two varzea teams travelled to London for the experience of a lifetime.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of them had never even flown on an aeroplane before,\u201d says Gilberto. \u201cTo represent their community at the Emirates was unimaginable.\u201d<\/p>\n Wright and Gilberto led the players out onto the pitch. Gabriel Martinelli, whose family hails from the Guarulhos district, turned up to support. Bukayo Saka recorded a pre-match message.<\/p>\n For the two teams, this was a culmination of a dream. \u201cIt was incredible,\u201d says Gilberto. \u201cYou could see it in their faces \u2014 it was life or death.\u201d<\/p>\n They carried the hopes of those back home \u2014 the match was live-streamed directly into their local communities.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a Monday afternoon, and everyone stopped to watch,\u201d says Garrafa, director of Arsenal Guarulhos. \u201cIt was as if it was the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n The story of Guarulhos striker Ronaldo is emblematic of the transformative power of football. He lost two toes in a motorcycle accident in 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was in the hospital bed, I was told that it would take me two years to walk normally,\u201d he says. \u201cThey said I could have issues with my balance. If you stop and think about it for any length of time, there is only one conclusion: football is over.\u201d<\/p>\n So he didn\u2019t stop. \u201cWithin five months, I was running again.\u201d<\/p>\n Ronaldo was named man of the match at the Emirates, and scored the goal of the game \u2014 a curling, dipping lob, struck with that injured right foot.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I got the player of the match award from Gilberto and Ian Wright, I swear to you: I didn\u2019t know where to look,\u201d says Ronaldo. \u201cI was fighting to control my emotions. I\u2019d always dreamed of playing on a carpet like that. Back home, my whole family were watching me carry the trophy. It was the best day of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n While Ronaldo fought to keep it together, there were many tears of joy both at the Emirates and on the streets of Sao Paulo. There was the pride of victory \u2014 but more so, the pride of recognition and representation.<\/p>\n At this rematch, it\u2019s evident the two teams have formed a close bond. This time, Jacana run out 2-0 winners, to the delight of their frenzied support. The Martinelli family are represented pitchside again, by his sister and cousin.<\/p>\n Guarulhos applaud as Jacana receive their medals. Afterwards, everyone comes together to enjoy a traditional barbecue.<\/p>\n Their trip to London, and the subsequent documentary, have earned both teams a measure of notoriety.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s surreal because everywhere we go today, people recognise us,\u201d says Guarulhos coach Rony. \u201cThey know we are the team that went to London.\u201d<\/p>\n Watching on, the ex-Arsenal legends reflect on what football has granted them.<\/p>\n \u201cFootball gave me everything,\u201d says Wright. \u201cEven if it hadn\u2019t worked out professionally, it would\u2019ve given me structure, community, purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt allowed me to travel the world, meet people, and change my circumstances,\u201d adds Gilberto. \u201cMost importantly, it changed my family\u2019s lives. In Brazil, football can be a chance to give your parents a better home, better conditions. I was able to do that. I\u2019m forever grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n These other Arsenal teams are playing at a different level, with different goals \u2014 but the impact seems just as profound.<\/p>\n \u201cWe became characters in something we only see on television,\u201d says Jacana coach Neguino. \u201cThat is what varzea gives us \u2014 the opportunity to be a coach, to be an athlete, to have supporters of our own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI grew out of this experience, a lot of doors opened for me,\u201d says man of the match Ronaldo.\u00a0 \u201cThis journey, this documentary, this game. I believe God placed it at the right moment for me.<\/p>\n \u201cFootball changed my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Sao Paulo, Brazil, two teams called Arsenal face each other. The dirt pitch is rock hard, cracks coursing through its uneven surface. 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