Brazil

There are always a few things to look forward at the beginning of a new year; new-year resolutions, new season in some countries, new players for a lot of clubs and new data. 

Yes, this is a soccer nerd kind of article, so if you are afraid of numbers, you better start running. 

If you’re like me and can’t wait to see what keeps this machine that we call soccer clicking, get comfortable and ready yourself for some surprises because FIFA released its yearly transfer report and it is an interesting one.

This auntie's got skills. pic.twitter.com/ag6crq02kX

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) February 1, 2017

Following the tragic events of LaMia Flight 2933, which took the lives of 22 Chapecoense players, 23 staff and board members and a total of 71 people, the club have now begun the difficult process of returning to the field with a new squad and manager.

More than two years after the 2014 World Cup, the excess of $3 billion spent on building new stadiums and renovating existing ones across Brazil is looking more and more like an unmitigated disaster. With the government unable to pay teachers, medical personnel and pensions, the extreme costs of up keeping these gargantuan white elephants are rightly the last thing on the country's priority list.

We’ve shown you some of the best and most amusing moments the Copa Sao Paulo has had to offer over the past few weeks. However, the latest news coming from Brazil’s top youth competition is nothing short of disturbing. Age fraud has been present in soccer ever since the conception of youth competitions.

Stefan Frei, your goalkeeping moment in the sun is over, step aside. Enter Brazilian club Ceara SC mascot Vovo. Like Frei, he’s got a beard, hops and incredible reactions. Unlike Frei, he’s not a real person. Unless it’s a guy with big head syndrome. In which case, I sincerely apologize. 

PQP, É O MELHOR GOLEIRO DO BRASIL, MASCOTE! pic.twitter.com/Rz0KLX6sdf

It’s no secret that Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo is not one of the friendliest guys to go up against on the pitch. Still, his first press conference as a Palmeiras player was nothing short of shocking.

The former Galatasaray and Internazionale player started out by saying the media was to blame for his bad-boy reputation.

Last time we popped in for a look at the Sao Paulo Youth Cup we focused on the bad (funny) side of the Copa Sao Paulo, as we watched a Corinthians defender score one of the weirdest own goals of the past few years. Well, this time we are back showing the good side of Brazil’s premier youth competition.

With a single play, Fluminense’s 18-year-old midfielder Pedrinho went from unknown prospect to having fans bothering manager Abel Braga to call the youngster up to the senior squad.

In the wake of the LaMia Flight 2933 disaster which took the lives of 22 members of the Chapecoense football squad, the club has begun the painful process of building towards their new season with the aim of promoting players from their youth teams. While many seasoned professionals and other Brazilian clubs have offered their support with regards to personnel, Chapecoesne president Plinio David de nes Filho has maintained that the club will stay true to its roots and values.