For 30 years, I was a virgin to live pro futebol. Tonight, after a three-decade-wait, I attended my first-ever pro futebol match, and it could not have been a better experience.
Rio de Janeiro’s beloved home team of Flamengo was hosting rival Santos FC of Sao Paulo at the historic Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho — better known as Estádio do Maracanã, which was built in 1950 for the nation’s first-ever World Cup. The stadium will again the World Cup in 2014.
I wrote about the experience for the journal Americas Quarterly, published here. Give the link a click! I also made a short video about the experience, here:
