THIS January the Premier League says goodbye to Chelsea’s Oscar and hello to Gabriel Jesus, who joins Man City from Palmeiras.
Brazilians have a very patchy record in English football… so we decided to rate every single Samba star to have played in the top flight.
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How many players showed their Braziliance, and how many looked like they wanted to stay on the beach in Rio?
SunSport reveals all about the Premier League’s past and present Samba stars… and the omens don’t look good for Gabriel Jesus.
By our reckoning only a fraction of the 62 stars from Brazil have been worth the hype.
BRAZILIANT
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
THE man who makes Liverpool tick. Jurgen Klopp’s men have been at their very best with the playmaker in the side.
Brazil coach Tite summed it up when he told Coutinho: “You’re playing f***ing awesome! You play amazingly kid!”
Willian (Chelsea)
THE £30m winger from Shakhtar Donetsk took time to get going at Stamford Bridge, as he struggled to take the initiative in games.
But he became a firm fans’ favourite when he played his heart out last season despite the rest of the Chelsea squad effectively going on holiday.
Juninho (Middlesbrough)
MIDDLESBROUGH was a very strange place for one of the first Brazilians to rock up in the Premier League, but attacking midfielder Juninho gave fans on Teesside everything they hoped for and more.
“The Little Fella” was voted the greatest player in the club’s history in a PFA poll in 2007.
Fernandinho (Manchester City)
ANOTHER star from Shakhtar, Fernandinho joined in 2013 and helped Man City to the title in his first season in the Premier League.
He has shown himself to be one of best box-to-box midfielders in the game, and has been an ever-present under both Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola.
David Luiz (Chelsea)
SIX months ago Chelsea fans would’ve said David Luiz was anything but a hit at the club, and they could hardly believe it when Antonio Conte spent £30m to bring him back from PSG in summer.
But he has been reborn under the Italian and become the key man in a defence that has conceded just two goals in 12 league games.
BEACH BUMS
Robinho (Manchester City)
THE striker had every bit of quality needed to be one of the Premier League’s biggest Brazilian stars.
Signed from Real Madrid for £32.5m in 2008, he scored a fantastic free kick on his debut against Chelsea. But he became homesick, skipped training and eventually moved to Santos on loan and then Milan permanently.
Kleberson (Manchester United)
SOME things in football are not easily explained, like the fact Kleberson has won a World Cup and Lionel Messi has not.
The 2002 world champion midfielder joined for £6.5m from Atletico Paranaense, made just 20 appearances in two seasons and then was sold to Besiktas for £2.5m.
Roque Junior (Leeds)
WHAT was it about Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning players that made them so totally unsuited to the English game?
Centre-back Roque Junior joined on loan from Milan in 2003, gave a penalty away and was sent off in his debut, and was sent back to Italy with his tail between his legs after just five appearances.
Alexandre Pato (Chelsea)
ONCE one of the hottest young prospects in the world, by the time he joined Chelsea last season he was a has-been who even Corinthians didn’t want.
He joined on loan from the Brazilians and made just two appearances for the Blues. A fitting January signing in the club’s worst season since 1996.
Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough)
IT’S lucky Gareth Southgate won’t be handling any transfers with England, as he decided to spend around £17m in 2008 replacing Yakubu with Afonso Alves from Heerenveen.
Alves was Europe’s top scorer with the Dutch club but failed to follow the example of Juninho at the Riverside. A year after signing he was shipped to Qatar and never heard from again.
ON THE FENCE
Anderson (Manchester United)
WHY ANDERSON IS A HIT - Andrew Richardson
FORGET the end of his United career, this is a player who showed he was capable of dominating midfield battles against some of the Premier League’s best.
Many will point to Anderson’s £20million transfer fee — but that works out at just £5m per Premier League title.
Add to that the fact he scored two goals in the 2011 Champions League semi-final and a Sudden Death penalty in the victorious 2008 showpiece AND netted the winning spot-kick in the 2009 League Cup final, he did more than most during his time in English football.
The man even carried on playing for a couple of minutes against West Ham after tearing his cruciate ligaments.
No club, other than United has more Premier League titles than he has on his own, and he was just two years from earning a testimonial.
WHY ANDERSON IS A MISS - Daniel Cutts
ANDERSON joined Manchester United for £20m… yes, read that again, £20 MILLION.
He’ll be remembered by many as one of the biggest Premier League flops ever, outside of die-hard United fans.
A man who was, and is, the butt of the jokes, he was over-rated, gifted, but lazy, and never lived up to his talent.
Despite my esteemed colleague’s claims he only cost them £5m for every title he won, he contributed with just FIVE Premier League goals in eight years. If that’s a contribution, then I might as well get my boots on now…
Oscar (Chelsea)
WHY OSCAR IS A SAMBA STAR - Alex Terrell
BACK in the 90s having Brazilian players coming to the Premier League was a buzz and a luxury.
Samba football at Stamford Bridge, Highbury and the Riverside.
For me, Oscar sums up that Samba spirit 20 years later.
Yes, he was not exactly a workhorse, but he had an eye for a pass, he could score belters and he worked so seamlessly with Fabregas, Hazard and Ramires in a Chelsea team that played champagne football under Jose Mourinho.
They were an easier team on the eye than Antonio Conte’s high-fliers are even today.
Yes his Chelsea career tailed off, but so did Ronaldinho at Barcelona, that’s the way of the Samba, remember the good times.
WHY OSCAR IS A MASSIVE FLOP - Tom Sheen
OSCAR arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2012 billed as the new Kaka – when that tag still meant something in world football.
Then 21, he already had six caps for Brazil and was described as a mercurial talent not only able to beat a man with his dribbling, but one who had the vision to make a killer pass and an eye for goal.
He was expected to become one of the best No 10s in world football.
There were times when Oscar flashed world-beating talent, most notably in his first season (when he played 64 matches) and in the first three months after Jose Mourinho’s return, when the Special One decided that Oscar – rather than fans’ favourite and reigning Chelsea Player of the Year Juan Mata – was the future.
That Mourinho power move backfired, with Oscar becoming less of a force as time wore on.
His first season was easily his best.
Since then his stock has continued to fall with each passing month, with the bright attacking play replaced with laziness and an inability to find the right pass or hit the target.
Oscar recorded his biggest goal tally and most assists in his first campaign and has failed to hit double figures in the last two seasons – and he’s only started six of 20 matches in all competitions this season.
Chelsea will be laughing all the way to the bank. Oscar is not worth half of the £60m Shanghai SIPG paid for him.
THE FULL LIST
Alex (Chelsea 2007–12) BRAZILIANT 
Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough 2007–09) BEACH BUM 
Anderson (Manchester United 2007–15) ON THE FENCE
Anderson Silva (Everton 2006–07) BEACH BUM
Fábio Aurélio (Liverpool 2006–11) BEACH BUM
Júlio Baptista (Arsenal 2006–07) BEACH BUM
Juliano Belletti (Chelsea 2007–10) BEACH BUM
Branco (Middlesbrough 1995–97) BEACH BUM
Caçapa (Newcastle United 2007–09) BEACH BUM
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool 2012–) BRAZILIANT
David Luiz (Chelsea 2011–14, 2016–) BRAZILIANT
Denílson (Arsenal 2006–11) BEACH BUM
Guly do Prado (Southampton 2012–14) BEACH BUM
Doni (Liverpool 2011–12) BEACH BUM
Doriva (Middlesbrough 2002–06) BRAZILIANT
Edu (Arsenal 2000–05) BRAZILIANT
Elano (Manchester City 2007–09) BRAZILIANT
Emerson (Middlesbrough 1996–97) BRAZILIANT
Fábio (Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough 2009–14, 2016–) BEACH BUM
Fernando (Manchester City 2014–) BEACH BUM
Fernandinho (Manchester City 2013–) BRAZILIANT
Filipe Luís (Chelsea 2014–15) BEACH BUM
Roberto Firmino (Liverpool 2015–) BRAZILIANT
Fumaça (Newcastle United 1999–2000) BEACH BUM
Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal 2014–) BEACH BUM
Geovanni (Manchester City, Hull City 2007–10) BRAZILIANT
Gilberto (Tottenham Hotspur 2007–09) BEACH BUM
Gilberto Silva (Arsenal 2002–08) BRAZILIANT
Gláuber (Manchester City 2008–09) BEACH BUM
Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham Hotspur, Watford 2008–11, 2015–) BRAZILIANT
Ilan (West Ham United 2009–10) BEACH BUM
Isaías (Coventry City 1995–97) BEACH BUM
Mário Jardel (Bolton Wanderers 2003–04) BEACH BUM
Jô (Manchester City, Everton 2008–11) BEACH BUM
Júlio César (Bolton Wanderers 2004–05) BEACH BUM
Júlio César (Queens Park Rangers 2012–13) BEACH BUM
Juninho (Middlesbrough 1995–97, 1999–2000, 2002–04) BRAZILIANT
Kenedy (Chelsea, Watford 2015–) BEACH BUM
Kléberson (Manchester United 2003–05) BEACH BUM
Lucas Leiva (Liverpool 2007–) BRAZILIANT
Maicon (Manchester City 2012–13) BEACH BUM
Mineiro (Chelsea 2008–09) BEACH BUM
Nenê (West Ham United 2014–15) BEACH BUM
Oscar (Chelsea 2012–) ON THE FENCE
Alexandre Pato (Chelsea 2015–16) BEACH BUM
Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur 2013–15) BEACH BUM
Andreas Pereira (Manchester United 2014–16) BEACH BUM
Bruno Perone (Queens Park Rangers 2011–12) BEACH BUM
Lucas Piazon (Chelsea 2012–13) BEACH BUM
Rafael (Manchester United 2008–15) BRAZILIANT
Ramires (Chelsea 2010–16) BRAZILIANT
Douglas Rinaldi (Watford 2006–07) BEACH BUM
Robinho (Manchester City 2008–10) BEACH BUM
Fábio Rochemback (Middlesbrough 2005–08) BEACH BUM
Rodrigo (Everton 2002–03) BEACH BUM
Roque Júnior (Leeds United 2003–04) BEACH BUM
Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers, West Bromwich Albion 2010–16) BEACH BUM
André Santos (Arsenal 2011–12) BEACH BUM
Rafael Schmitz (Birmingham City 2007–08) BEACH BUM
Sylvinho (Arsenal, Manchester City 1999–2001, 2009–10) BRAZILIANT
Emerson Thome (Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Sunderland, Bolton Wanderers 1997–2004) BRAZILIANT
Willian (Chelsea 2013–) BRAZILIANT
So by our count, just 19 of 62 supposed Samba Stars have proved a hit in the Premier League.
Maybe it’s not a good idea to go Brazil Nuts after all.
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