I watched the Brazil vs Argentina game on ESPN, which featured the second teams of both. No such players as Messi, Pato and the usual stars. Players like Leandro Damiao and Pablo Mouche took centre stage in what was a good albeit goalless game. But what struck me was the incredible skill of these teams, despite them being second string. They were way superior to England's first team.
The only stars for Brazil playing were Ronaldinho and Neymar, and for Argentina, half of their team came from Velez Sarsfield, an Argentinean team. No big stars were on show. However the quality of football was high, and the highlight of the game was unarguably Leandro Damiao's flick up and dink, with which he almost scored. Look it up on Youtube. It's one of the craziest bits of skill I have ever seen.
The fact is that England or your average European side is a million billion lightyears away from producing a second team that's similar. You would have players like Milner and Downing playing for the England second team. When you compare them to young Brazilian prodigies like Lucas Moura and Casemiro, there is little if no hope.
I have no idea how countries like Argentina but especially Brazil continue to roll out talent on a conveyor belt, a bit like Barcelona but better as it's on a national scale, but it is quite amazing. I don't if it has something to do with the fact that kids in Brazil have nothing else to do than play football, which would mean that they would all more a less comply with the 10,000 hour rule, or if they are just naturally gifted. I can't wait to see what the future holds for both Brazil and Argentina. All I can say is, it's bright.
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