Brazilians boost Bundesliga

Goal heroes 
Certainly, BV Borussia Dortmund would not be going to the UEFA Cup final were it not for Marcio Amoroso's hat-trick against Milan AC in the semi-final first leg. Meanwhile, it took a goal from Lucio to give Bayer 04 Leverkusen perhaps their greatest win this term, against Liverpool FC in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

New trend 
These are just two examples of a new trend in German football. With Brazilian players seen as a guarantee of success, there are 22 of them playing in the 1. Bundesliga. "I never thought it could happen," admitted Heinz Prellwitz. The 70-year-old from Hamburg is Brazil's resident Bundesliga expert. More than that, he acts as a go-between for Brazilian players and their German clubs from his home in Rio de Janeiro. It was Prellwitz who helped the likes of Jorginho, Sergio and Emerson settle in northern Europe. So nowadays the problem of integration is a thing of the past even though the players may struggle with the language.

Happy among friends 
"If a Brazilian moves to a German club, he is likely to find a fellow countryman there. This makes things easier," explained FC Bayern München's Paulo Sergio. Together with Giovane Elber, he forms the Brazilian contingent at Munich's Olympiastadion and today every German top club has at least two Brazilians on their books. "The more Brazilians you have, the easier it is for them to adjust to German life. As you see in Dortmund they feel very good in their group, that's why they settle so quickly," Bayern's assistant coach Michael Henke said.

Brazilians hate the bench 
But integration and feeling at home is one thing; not playing or falling out with the coach is another. "Substituting a Brazilian or not letting him play is worse for him than stealing his wife," Leverkusen coach Klaus Toppmöller said. The Hertha BSC Berlin forward Alex Alves is a case in point. Alves was the club's record signing at €8m, but under former coach Jürgen Röber he was often substituted and attracted more attention for his off-field antics. Since Falko Götz became coach at the Olympiastadion, Alves has suddenly blossomed. "It was all over for me in Berlin until Götz came along. He showed me a video of my best goals and brought back the enjoyment," he said.

Silencing the critics 
A similar situation may be found in Dortmund where Marcio Amoroso's performances have attracted a lot of criticism. But having scored 15 goals in the Bundesliga this term, Amoroso has silenced his worst detractors. "As long as he is scoring, he can do what he likes," said his team-mate Jürgen Kohler. "I want to please the fans with my passion, my tricks and my goals. It would be useless for me to try and play like a German. Power and commitment are nothing for me," Amoroso confessed. "However, there are things you can learn from the Germans, like punctuality."

The weather 
Brazilian skills allied to German virtues are the template for success. But one problem will never be solved, as Paulo Sergio admitted: "There is one thing I will never get used to in Germany, the weather."