On the cusp of making history by becoming the most decorated Brazilians to ever contest the Champions League, Marcelo and Casemiro have already cemented their legacies at Real Madrid and form part of a long list of fellow countrymen to have plied their trade in the Bernabeu.
But who was the first? The most commonly thrown up name is that of Didi – a huge purchase in 1959 given his status as a world-famous star, yet his time in Spain yielded a meagre return of just nine goals in 31 outings and a sole trophy by way of the Ramon de Carranza tournament that repeatedly saw the country’s elite – Real Madrid, Atletico and Barcelona – test themselves against Brazil’s best outfits. Pushed out of the side by Alfredo Di Stéfano, he returned to Rio’s Botafogo the following year.
Canário was another big name of the era, arriving at roughly the same time as Didi, and caught Los Blancos’ attention while at América do Rio. Enjoying the greater success of the two, he became the first Brazilian to win the European cup on field by starring in a record fifth consecutive win of the competition in a 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park.
Yet neither Canário nor Didi were the first to pull on the iconic Merengue shirt. Instead, that prestigious honour went to one Fernando Giudicelli - a member of Brazil’s 1930 World Cup squad whilst still a Fluminense player who a year after went on a European tour with Vasco that long pre-dated the Ramon de Carranza.
Scoring in a 2-1 victory over the Blaugrana at their old Les Corts stadium, the move of Guidicelli’s dreams was finalised when an impressed Barcelona sealed his capture. Failing to feature in a single game however, his bliss was to be short-lived and he made his way back to Rio vowing never to cross the Atlantic to the old continent again.
Though their reputation was not as strong as that built in the 1950’s, few are able to resist the lure of Real Madrid and when they came knocking four years later, the talented midfielder was persuaded to go back on his word. Still more of a success than his time in Catalonia, Guidicelli managed to play just the once but - unbeknownst to him – he had already made history as the first Brazilian to defend the honour of the sport’s most successful club and a pioneer of his country’s fruitful involvement in Spanish football.
