MIRANDA, A BALL-PLAYING CENTRE-HALF

MILAN – Brazil won their first World Cup on 29 June 1958, dispelling the myth that they bottled the big games (their humbling against Uruguay, a match more commonly known as the 'Maracanazo', springs to mind). The game's sleeping giant had finally woken from its slumber and from then on would dominate the sport.

The Selecao captain held the Jules Rimet trophy up to the Stockholm sky with outstretched arms, setting a trend in how to celebrate winning the game's showpiece event. The captain's name was Bellini, a great centre-back who came through at Vasco da Gama before moving to Sao Paulo. Brazilian defenders have always been blessed with leadership qualities but growing up in the game's spiritual homeland comes with an additional burden. Players must adhere to the dogma of 'jogo bonito' (pretty football), a term coined by another Brazilian star Didi, also a member of the 1958 side.

Joao Miranda has followed in the footsteps of Bellini. The Inter man has been known to wear the armband for his country on occasion, with head coach Tite employing a number of different captains. Miranda and Bellini are also both exponents of 'jogo bonito'. Here we mean the real essence of the expression, something the defender has always had deep within him. Miranda, like Bellini before him, isn't overly quick but his footballing brain allows him to be one step ahead of his opponents, always in the right place at the right time. Similarly, Bellini would almost appear out of nowhere, sharp, fresh, neat and tidy. He wouldn't need last-ditch slide challenges because his reading of the game allowed him to track the play as it developed. Miranda, following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor, sees the game quicker than most and his tackles are a joy to watch.

Bellini would end his career at Clube Atletico Paranaense in Curitiba. Curiously, that was where Miranda began his. The Nerazzurri man however – besides a brief spell in the youth team at Londrina – turned out for Curitiba, the other team in the capital of Parana. Joao moved to Europe at a young age but struggled initially at Sochaux. Like all smart people though, Miranda turned a tough situation into an opportunity to develop. He found his release as part of a flat back four in France and effectively learned a new style of play.

He then returned to his homeland, signing for Sao Paulo. Once again he trod the same path as Bellini, who had moved to the state capital to replace Mauro Ramos, another Brazil captain who would go on to lift the 1962 World Cup in Chile. Miranda won three straight league titles at Sao Paulo and became a fans' favourite in a country where your average supporter has a keen eye for a player. Nor did Joao's intelligence desert him when he moved to Diego Simeone's battling Atletico Madrid side.

From there he joined Inter. There's rarely a grass stain on him, he's that good. His calm demeanour reassures everyone, team-mates, coaches and fans alike. The Brazilian has gone on to become one of the Nerazzurri's key players and there are few more fitting places for a footballing artist like him than the Mecca that is San Siro's Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

Carlo Pizzigoni

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