In Sao Paulo, Brazil, two teams called Arsenal face each other.
The dirt pitch is rock hard, cracks coursing through its uneven surface. On one side of the pitch, housing cascades out of the hillside. On the other, a forest erupts.
Dragonflies buzz just above head height. Beyond them, a canopy of kites. Teenagers from the nearby favela are playing pipa combate — an aerial duel in which kite strings are laced with glass powder to cut down rivals. The ash rising from the pitchside barbecue mingles with the blue and white smoke of supporters’ flares.
On the field, a swinging elbow prompts a flurry of protests. There’s a scuffle among the players, coaches invade the pitch, and the referee’s mother is subject to some scurrilous accusations from the sidelines.
This is varzea — the name for Brazilian grassroots football.
The term derives from the Portuguese word for ‘flood plain’ or ‘open field’. In the cradle of joga bonito, this is the game at its most raw.
“It’s amateur football, played in communities all over Brazil,” says Gilberto Silva, a Premier League champion with Arsenal and World Cup winner. “It’s where I started playing.”
He’s in good company there — names such as former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva, and Barcelona forward Raphinha and Arsenal’s own Gabriel Jesus can trace their origins back to varzea. But these amateur teams represent more than simply a route into professional sport.
“Football in the community is more than just a game,” says Gilberto. “It’s a way of life. It brings people together and allows them to represent who they are and where they come from.”
The two teams in question are Arsenal Guarulhos and Arsenal Jacana, also known as Arsenal ‘Raiz’ — which translates as “roots”.
There are eight varzea teams in the Sao Paulo region that owe their name to Arsenal Football Club of London. They take their inspiration from different aspects of the club — the passion of its supporters, the powerful symbolism of the cannon, the remarkable feats of Gilberto and the Invincibles.
“In Brazil especially, football means everything,” former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright says while watching the match unfold from a concrete dugout. “The country invests its soul into it. You see people crying over a Sunday game. That’s what football is.”
“And the fact these teams are linked to Arsenal — that’s because of Arsene Wenger. Before him, we were ‘boring, boring Arsenal’. He took our football around the world.”
“It’s a reminder of the responsibility the club has globally,” adds Gilberto. “People look up to Arsenal as a role model, not just a football club.”
Gilberto Silva speaking to The Athletic’s James McNicholas in Brazil (Andre Havt/Dirt Is Good)
This match in Sao Paulo commemorates an extraordinary tournament held in 2025. Dirt Is Good partnered with Arsenal to invite eight varzea teams to compete in a knockout competition — a battle of the Brazilian Arsenals.
The prize for the finalists of this ‘Varzenal’ tournament? The opportunity to play at the Emirates Stadium in London.
“When we heard about it, we thought it was a joke,” says Neguinho, coach of Arsenal Jacana. “When I played football as a kid, my dream was to play in England.”
Eight teams competed for the right to play at the Emirates. As well as Jacana and Guarulhos, there were Arsenal Aclimacao, Arsenal Cid Tiradentes, Arsenal Jardim Senice, Arsenal Vila Suica, Arsenal EG and Arsenal Ipiranga.
The tournament was a festival of football. Varzea teams have dedicated local followings. They are often at the heart of their communities. In the midst of the pandemic, Raiz distributed food parcels among the Jacana neighbourhood. Those affiliated with the teams refer to the shirt as their “second skin”.
It was Arsenal Guarulhos and Jacana who prevailed in the tournament, earning the right to travel to London in May 2025.
Wright and Gilberto attended the final at the Emirates, as well as this rematch in Sao Paulo. They understand the importance of grassroots football more than most.
“I was in grassroots for so long,” explains Wright. “I started playing as a kid, then at 16 I was playing men’s football at grassroots level. When trials didn’t work out, grassroots was there for me to go back to. It gave me grounding — and belonging. The friendships, the community, feeling like you mattered.
“Growing up, with things at school and at home, I didn’t feel important. But when I played grassroots, I felt like I mattered. People wanted me there. They knew I was good.
“That gave me camaraderie, teamwork, awareness of others. Everything you need to become a decent person, I got from grassroots and my community.”
Gilberto offers a Brazilian perspective.
“I grew up in a very small village called Luziania, near Lagoa da Prata in southeastern Brazil,” he tells The Athletic. “When I was a kid, becoming a professional footballer felt very far from reality — almost impossible. I grew up playing football in the streets, at school, with my friends and cousins. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I had my first trial.
“Before football, I had to work. I worked in a sweets factory, in construction, wherever I could, to help my family. Between 14 and 16, my mother was very ill. As the oldest child, I had to help support my parents and my three younger sisters. It was about survival.
“Because of that, when I had the chance to play football, I enjoyed it so much. I knew what real hardship was.”
Gilberto Silva and Ian Wright in Brazil (Andre Havt/Dirt Is Good)
A varzea game is a far cry from the Hackney Marshes where Wright started out.
The teams have dedicated support, and arrive replete with face paint, banners and percussion. Dogs patter enthusiastically around the perimeter of the pitch. It makes for a colourful carnival.
Wright and Gilberto recognise the role grassroots football played in their development.
“It totally shaped how I played professionally,” says Wright. “I went straight from Sunday morning football to the Second Division with Crystal Palace in 1985. I was 21.”
“When I went to Palace, (manager) Steve Coppell understood where I came from. He told me, ‘Never lose your imagination in the final third’. If I’d had a different manager who tried to take away my instinct — to beat a man, to shoot, to be direct — I don’t think I’d have been the same player.”
The roots of Gilberto’s style can also be found in the amateur game.
“I remember being 13 or 14 and playing in the same team my father used to play for,” he says. “He was always worried about me getting injured. He told me, ‘Play simple. Don’t keep the ball too long. These are big guys — they can hurt you’.
“My father’s advice became a huge part of my game. He taught me to pass quickly and move. That lesson shaped the way I played throughout my career.”
There is talent in these games, too. On these hard, erratic surfaces, technical skill is honed and celebrated. In varzea, the guy from the block becomes the star.
While a select few graduate to the professional game, many are destined to remain local legends.
Gilberto and Wright with the winning team Jacanda (or Raiz) (Andre Havt/Dirt Is Good)
“I played with some who were as good as anything I saw in the professional game,” says Wright. “My dear friend Conrad — who sadly passed away in his fifties — and I played together at Ten Em Bee FC. I got him a trial at Crystal Palace too, and Steve Coppell liked him, but Conrad didn’t take the chance.
“He definitely could’ve made it. But he was a proper worker, he had a job, and taking the trial would’ve meant giving that up. He didn’t want to do it. It was crazy. Later on, things went the wrong way for him. It’s heartbreaking. That’s the tragic side of football — sliding doors. Talent alone isn’t enough.”
When Guarulhos and Jacana qualified for the final, they still found it difficult to believe they would be granted the opportunity to play in London.
“I told my parents I was going to play at Arsenal in England,” says Arsenal Guarulhos striker Ronaldo Henrique, 27. “My mother was worried it was a hoax.”
But in May 2025, the two varzea teams travelled to London for the experience of a lifetime.
“Some of them had never even flown on an aeroplane before,” says Gilberto. “To represent their community at the Emirates was unimaginable.”
Wright and Gilberto led the players out onto the pitch. Gabriel Martinelli, whose family hails from the Guarulhos district, turned up to support. Bukayo Saka recorded a pre-match message.
For the two teams, this was a culmination of a dream. “It was incredible,” says Gilberto. “You could see it in their faces — it was life or death.”
They carried the hopes of those back home — the match was live-streamed directly into their local communities.
“It was a Monday afternoon, and everyone stopped to watch,” says Garrafa, director of Arsenal Guarulhos. “It was as if it was the World Cup.”
The story of Guarulhos striker Ronaldo is emblematic of the transformative power of football. He lost two toes in a motorcycle accident in 2021.
“When I was in the hospital bed, I was told that it would take me two years to walk normally,” he says. “They said I could have issues with my balance. If you stop and think about it for any length of time, there is only one conclusion: football is over.”
So he didn’t stop. “Within five months, I was running again.”
Ronaldo was named man of the match at the Emirates, and scored the goal of the game — a curling, dipping lob, struck with that injured right foot.
“When I got the player of the match award from Gilberto and Ian Wright, I swear to you: I didn’t know where to look,” says Ronaldo. “I was fighting to control my emotions. I’d always dreamed of playing on a carpet like that. Back home, my whole family were watching me carry the trophy. It was the best day of my life.”
While Ronaldo fought to keep it together, there were many tears of joy both at the Emirates and on the streets of Sao Paulo. There was the pride of victory — but more so, the pride of recognition and representation.
At this rematch, it’s evident the two teams have formed a close bond. This time, Jacana run out 2-0 winners, to the delight of their frenzied support. The Martinelli family are represented pitchside again, by his sister and cousin.
Guarulhos applaud as Jacana receive their medals. Afterwards, everyone comes together to enjoy a traditional barbecue.
Their trip to London, and the subsequent documentary, have earned both teams a measure of notoriety.
“It’s surreal because everywhere we go today, people recognise us,” says Guarulhos coach Rony. “They know we are the team that went to London.”
Watching on, the ex-Arsenal legends reflect on what football has granted them.
“Football gave me everything,” says Wright. “Even if it hadn’t worked out professionally, it would’ve given me structure, community, purpose.”
“It allowed me to travel the world, meet people, and change my circumstances,” adds Gilberto. “Most importantly, it changed my family’s lives. In Brazil, football can be a chance to give your parents a better home, better conditions. I was able to do that. I’m forever grateful.”
These other Arsenal teams are playing at a different level, with different goals — but the impact seems just as profound.
“We became characters in something we only see on television,” says Jacana coach Neguino. “That is what varzea gives us — the opportunity to be a coach, to be an athlete, to have supporters of our own.”
“I grew out of this experience, a lot of doors opened for me,” says man of the match Ronaldo. “This journey, this documentary, this game. I believe God placed it at the right moment for me.
“Football changed my life.”