Brazil desperately need a new phenomenon

There were just a handful of us in the lift coming down from the press box in the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo last week when the doors opened and in walked... ‘O Fenomeno,’ I heard myself involuntarily mutter under my breath.

‘O Fenomeno’ echoed the Argentinian journalist beside me, before adding, with real feeling: “The best player in the world in the last 20 years...”

Coming from a native of Brazil’s deadliest rivals, this was praise indeed. But then the new addition to our little band of suddenly dumbstruck hacks and volunteers was none other than the man who, like Ali (‘Champ’) and Pele (‘The King’), is known simply to one and all in these parts by an instantly recognisable superlative — ‘The Phenomenon’.