It started off discreet enough yet the phenomenon has grown rapidly in recent seasons that begs the question: why has the RPL gone nuts for Brazilians?

The question is an apt one for international week, after all, Brazil are everyone’s second favourite international team. And they, or rather their potential representatives, are certainly flavour of the month in the RPL.

According to officially registered squads, this season no fewer than 22 samba nation expats currently play for Russian clubs. This makes them the single biggest minority in the RPL today, outnumbering even ex-Soviet/Communist nations like Belarus (15), Serbia (14) or Ukraine (9), who traditionally met clubs’ exotic fancies.

In reality, this steamy Brazilian fling has been smouldering for over a decade, ever since Lokomotiv Nizhniy Novgorod unveiled the RPL’s first ever Brazilians, Luis Andre Da Silva and Mario dos Santos Junior, way back in 1995.

The case of Da Silva and Junior was very successful. Well, in terms of publicity that is. Turned out they weren’t very good.

But there was also a political context. Relations between Brazil and Russia had been warming and in 1997 the Brazil-Russia Cooperation Treaty was signed. That year also heralded the arrival of Luis Robson at Spartak Moscow. Generally considered the Russian game’s first successful import, he went on to win five titles and a cup.

International relations have since burst into full bloom. Last year, the two countries even signed agreements extending to visa exemption and cooperation in defence, nuclear and aerospace industries.

So, considering the increase in commercial trade and technology, it’s perhaps not surprising that this socio-political exchange-and-mart should stretch to football.

It used to be the case that Brazilian players entered the European market via Spain (Rivaldo, Robinho), Italy (Kaka, Roberto Carlos) or to a lesser extent the Dutch leagues (Romario, Ronaldo). Players had strayed a little further (Ronaldinho and PSG) but not too far – and not too many.

Nowadays though, an increasing number of trailblazers have scattered the stepping-stones: Arsenal’s Brazilian-born Eduardo da Silva represents Croatia, the country he moved to at the age of just 16 to pursue a career with Dinamo Zagreb. Similarly, Roger Guerreiro, bought by Legia Warsaw in 2006, later became a naturalised Pole, winning 19 caps and counting.

THE PUSH & PULL

As ever, money is the underlying force behind these new trade-routes. Since the late nineties, a run in the Uefa/Europa or Champions Leagues can be enough to bring a sudden cash-injection to previously anonymous clubs.

Consequently, across Russia (and much of Eastern Europe, e.g. Shakhtar Donetsk) where there has also been the odd oligarch to help things along, such clubs have increasingly been turning up to the transfer table with cash-in-hand rather than cap-in-hand.

And it’s been cheap foreign imports to whom they have turned to extend their success. The stats show that the import of choice is the Brazilian largely due to the unrivalled legend of the Brazilian football style – all glitz, glamour and flair. The glory of five World Cup wins (even if it is basked in reflectively) appeals to any manager, director or fan, from Middlesbrough to Moscow.

Of course, it’s faster to sign a Brazilian in hope than spend on youth systems; those annoyingly time consuming investment type things. Let’s be honest, slow and steady is hardly the maxim of modern Russia’s super rich. Not forgetting that, like in England, the price of lesser-known foreigners was and is a lot lower than that of Russian players. For the RPL’s money-men, fired in the kilns of hyper-capitalism, Brazilian is best.

And so despite the intense acclimatisation required – both weather-wise and culturally – the Brazilians arrive. For them, football is a very real opportunity to secure an otherwise unimaginable standard of financial security and Russia’s emerging RPL, with its big wages and clubs playing regularly in Europe, is an enticing shop window to place themselves in.

BETTER THAN COFFEE

While a number of Brazilians play for clubs outside Moscow (Cleber at Terek, Fereira and Leandro at Nalchik), the best of the RPL’s current samba stars have gravitated towards the capital’s big clubs and bright lights. This is Footy Matter’s guide to the best of the imports:

Welliton, 22, Spartak

Signed from Goias in 2007 this striker’s star is certainly on the rise and he currently finds himself atop the scoring charts this term with 15 goals in 19 RPL appearances.

Daniel Carvalho, 26, CSKA

Playmaker who became the first foreign player to be named Russian Footballer of the Year in 2005. He joined from Internacional in 2003 for £3.7m and was key to CSKA’s 2005 UEFA Cup triumph, making them the first Russian team ever to win a UEFA competition. Since his Man of the Match performance in that final, Carvalho has featured less but is currently back with The Army Men after a loan spell with Internacional last year.

Guilherme, 20, CSKA

Yet to feature since his recent loan move from Dynamo Kiev (the result of Andriy Shevchenko’s return), this promising forward netted 28 goals in 58 appearances for Cruzeiro in his debut season before moving to Ukraine at the start of the 2009/10 season and scoring four in six games.

Vagner Love, 25, CSKA

Bought from Palmeiras for £5.5m in 2004, the playboy-striker’s career has been one of constant headlines. He became the first non-Russian to finish top-scorer in the RPL (with 20) in 2008 and has scored 61 times in 118 appearances for CSKA – as well as with porn actress Pamela Butts. Rumours about his commitment have dogged him and after a patch of indifferent form last August, Love was loaned back to Palmeiras until July 2010. Officially, the club has said he needed to return to Brazil to sort out family matters.

Rodolfo, 26, Lokomotiv

Inter Milan new boy Lucio is this fellow defender’s hero and, like Lucio, Rodolfo loves to maraud forward and launch bolt-like shots. Technically gifted Rodolfo was drafted in 2007 after two seasons in Europe with Dynamo Kyiv.

Wagner, 24, Lokomotiv

The left-sided playmaker is aptly named as he orchestrates the Railwaymen’s midfield attacks. A dead-ball specialist.

Rafael Carioca, 20, Spartak

Came to prominence in Brazil playing 37 games for Gremio, the old club of Ronaldinho. The combative defensive midfielder joined Spartak this season, making his “dream” of European football come true. 

Zico – yes, that Zico. The former Fenerbahce coach joined CSKA this year from Uzbek club Bunyodkor.