Season is getting started in most of the National Leagues but in Brazil we are already in a very important moment.  As I told befor here at OleOle, Brasileirao is the most difficult national league to win in the world.

Pick any of the top leagues in the world and you know the winner will be one of four teams max. In Spain, everybody knows the winner will be Barcelona or Real Madrid. They should have a playoff NBA like between them.  Seven games.

Premier League is a little bit better as we used to have four, but everybody knows Arsenal can’t make it never so there are three possible winners, like in Italy. I am not even mentioning France, where only one team can win.

In Brazil, we never know. Twelve clubs start the season as favorites.  All of them have their own crowd, stadium and history.

Of course our best players are in Europe.

Certainly our managers suck.

Definitely our fans are not really well treated.

But nowhere else in the world a championship is so difficult to win.

I am not talking surprising results. I am talking about major and favorite teams.

It is not by accident that in 38 years in the so called Brasileirão, 17 teams were already Champions.
The greatest winners, Flamengo and São Paulo, have only 5 titles, the same number Real Madrid can have in a single decade in the Spanish League.

Brasileirão is always unpredictable. No Boca/River domination! 

Anyway, it is starting to become predictable now.  Fourteen rounds to be played, Grêmio is 6 points ahead Palmeiras and Cruzeiro, tied in second place. Grêmio is 10 points ahead the 6th  place, São Paulo.

Game of the week

Cruzeiro x Palmeiras

Tied with 43 points at the second position in the table, this is a key game for the Championship. They are both 5 points down the leader, Gremio. One loss can make one team eight points back in the table.

To watch

São Paulo x Flamengo

Here is another game ‘of six points’. I think the winner is definitely going to next year Copa Libertadores (top four teams qualify). São Paulo is the defending back-to-back champion. Morumbi stadium in Sao Paulo will probably be full as Sao Paulo needs to win to reach Libertadores level, as the fans are very mad if the team, three times Libertadores and Fifa Club World Cup Champions, don’t make the continental competition.

This is the best gossip I got from inside the olympic Village (actually the second best, but the first one I will have to take to my grave). It is not new at all that players like Rafa Nadal, Ronaldinho, Kobe Bryant, and many others are like idols for the others misters and misses nobody from the Olympics.

"I was sorry for Nadal. He can't have lunch, he needs to take pictures with athletes every two minutes", told me a table tennis guy. "I saw Yao Ming being rude to a guy that asked for a pic", told me another.

These two guys and two others confirmed to me that Messi can walk alone the whole day that nobody wants to take a picture with him. "Nobody knows him", told me a girl from Brazilian volleyball.

Anyway, if nobody wants to talk to Lionel, Kobe Bryant himsel said he was dying to get to know the Argentinean. Kobe was at Brazil x Argentina game and also at the football final.

BEIJING (CHINA) - Ambruse Vanzekin probably crossed Isinbayeva at the Olympic Village in his way to the Bird's Nest to play against Argentina the final.

This is the only reasonable excuse for the Nigerian keeper to go out of his small area to try to stop Argentina. This move was really unfortunate. Di Maria had no chance to score if the keeper stayed 'at home'.

Anyway, maybe this is hust my Brazilian part trying to believe Nigeria could win. But Argentina was the best and now they got this second gold medal and we don't have any (in football, in the overall standings at the Olympics Brazil comes first, of course).

My chat with the girl in the picture next to the Bird’s Nest was something like this...

- Hi, do you like Brazil?
- I love Beijing. I live here.
- Bra zil! BA GI (Brazil in Chinese). Brazil, not Beijing!
- Not so much
- What?
- Not so much. No.
- Really?
- Yes.
- Why are you wearing this t shirt anyway?
- I like the color

It is like Confucius always said: “Be honest and people will post about you at their blogs”

BEIJING (CHINA) - Communication is by far the biggest enigma from Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. It doesn’t matter if you know the name of your destination in Chinese. When you speak, they just don’t understand. The accent is so different that I already gave up.

For the worst moments, a telephone number with a friend who speaks the local language is the only option.

But, even the telephone can fail. So here is my sad history:

My accreditation is not valid for tennis. I am a huge fan of Roger Federer and I made a lot of effort to get a pass for one of his games. But, I had to do table tennis before as part of my work here. I had enough time. One hour left between the end of my article in the table tennis venue and the Olympic Green, where the tennis courts are.

So I asked a volunteer to help me to find a cab and tell him where he should go. They spoke 3 minutes in Chinese, looked at me and gave me lots of OK OK OK OK. After 50 minutes in the cab (wow) I was at the venue. 10 minutes to the game. Nice! I passed through security and finally I was there... in the BADMINTON VENUE!

I lost the game. Federer lost the game to James Blake. I definitely have to improve my Chinese beyond Ni Hao.  

BEIJING (CHINA) - Forget about Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and 'ping pong'. Get ready for some real action here in the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Bring on your masks, cause the smog pollution we are obliged to breathe here every day will be heavier on Tuesday 19 when Brazil and Argentina comes to town and enter the field for the first time ever in an Olympic football competition. OleOle is here and we will be there!

This game should be the gold medal one on Saturday at the amazing Olympic Stadium, the Bird's Nest (pic from the field), but becomes even more tragic as one of the two lifetime rivals won’t have the opportunity to run for gold. Argentina is the defending champion. They qualified January 2007 in a dramatic match against Uruguay, decided in extra time.

For Brazil, gold medal is an obsession. Every player wants to give the first gold medal to the country. This title, the only major one Brazil never won it, would transform the 18 players and the permanent under pressure coach into heroes.

Romario (silver in 1988), Ronaldo (bronze in 1996) and Ronaldinho (quaterfinals 2000) are often called chokers cause they lost the Games in their times. Even Dunga, the Brazilian National Coach, got ‘just’ a silver medal in 1984 as a player.

Because this is huge in Brazil, every player wants to play. Ronaldinho and Kaká said no to Copa America last year in Venezuela, but they fought hard to be in Beijing. Kaká lost his personal battle with AC Milan but Ronaldinho had a master play by negotiating his absence from the same Italian team before he signed his new contract. Robinho, the best player in Copa America, was stopped from Real Madrid to join BNT in China. “He is very upset, he dreamt of being in the Olympics”, told me here Diego, his closest friend since they played together.

Diego himself, old enough to play for the under 23 team yet, had to escape from Werder Bremen to be part of the team, the same that Rafinha, from Schalke 04, had to do. “Win this medal is like a World Cup for us and besides, this place is so cool. If I have some time I want to watch the Dream Team playing basketball”, he completed.

Ronaldinho is the single star from Brazilian team. Argentina, one more time, seems stronger with Messi, Riquelme and Aguero. But let’s remember Brazil have won mostly of the most important games with a not so Joga Bonito team, including last Copa America.

It was supposed to be a friendly, but seemed more like a practice. Brazil played less then 30% of what they could perform, but enough to beat US Soccer Sunday at Soldiers Field in Chicago.

 Unfortunately, Chicago couldn't see Ronaldinho-Kaka in a day of Jordan-Pippen. The brazilian duo, specially the Milan player who will probably be choosen the best of the year, was not really inspired. Ronaldinho, at least, scored one goal and gave two assists for both Lucio and Kaka (before american's own goal).

Now Brazil have a more difficult game against Mexico in Boston. Mexicans are used to beat Brazil and should be motivated about it.

Robinho changed his level as a player after Copa America. He was the only star in the Brazilian National Team but overcame the pressure and got the title, the MVP, top scorer and leadership of the team.

At least for the next matches, nobody could doubt he is going to be a starter for Dunga. He is definately not a choker anymore.

But from now on, Ronaldinho and Kaka are back. They were called for the friendly against Argelia and probably will be in the squad also for the North American tour against US and Mexico.

After those three matches, Brazil will start the World Cup 2010 Qualifer. It will be about time for Dunga to decide his perfect eleven.

The fact is that after Copa America success, Dunga will probably insists forever with his midfield with three defensive players (volantes). It is really hard to believe that Gilberto Silva, Mineiro and Elano (or Josue) won't play as starters.

Assuming that, we would have three places left. One is for the striker (Vagner Love or Fred or even Ronaldo). The other two would be disputed by Robinho, Kaka and Ronaldinho.

My guess is that Kaka will play with Robinho the first two matches. Ronaldinho will be on the bench.

But let's see what happens. Robinho had one month to practice with the team and was the only star. Once the european leagues start, Kaka and Ronaldinho will play every match and will be in shape soon.

Robinho and his Real Madrid nightmare can go back to the bench at anytime and loose his good rithym. That would take Ronaldinho back to the number 10 jersey right away.

Assuming that I am right, what do you think? If you have two places for Ronaldinho, Kaka and Robinho, who would you put in your team?

Tirei uma semana após a Copa América. Mas estou de volta. E nem por isso deixeir de acompanhar todos os posts e comentários da semana que passou.

Algo me chamou a atenção e me preocupa. Nosso estimado Esteban Crustille, figurinha carimbada nos coments dos principais blogueiros do País, que vive inclusive por aqui sempre enaltecendo as virtudes argentinas (concordo com várias) e menosprezando os brazucas (como ele gosta de dizer), SUMIU!

Espero que a saúde dele esteja boa. Espero que seja só um pouco de sofrimento e dor de cotovelo. O sofrimento faz crescer, dizem por aí. E que ele não tenha tido nada de mais grave.

Afinal, queremos Esteban de volta. Comentando e fazendo a gente ser mais brasileiro.

(Puerto La Cruz) - Não é notícia velha nem sacanagem. Depois da virada contra os Estados Unidos por 4 x 1, foi a vez dos argentinos virarem e dar de quatro novamente, desta vez com os colombianos. Ningué segura os caras.

- E o futebol colombiano, assim como o norte-americano, está definitivamente enterrado.

- Resta saber quem tem mais cabelo para gastar na rodada final. Porque os paraguaios meteram cinco na primeira e três na segunda. Como tomaram dois gols a menos, têm vantagem do empate. Força na peruca! Peluquerias de toda a América Latina vão parar para o jogo.

- Diego jogou no primeiro jogo e foi substituído no intervalo por Anderson, que jogou o segundo jogo e foi substituído no intervalo por Julio Baptista, que não amava ninguém, mas que tem grandes chances de ser a 'surpresa' contra o Equador. Os reservas treinaram e como Diego, Anderson e Julio Baptista estão no grupo dos reservas, não se sabe quem dos três será o titular.

- Não preciso dizer que eu insistiria em Diego ou Anderson.

- Os titulares foram para a piscina. E eu acompanhei uma parte do treino na piscina. Fala sério. Acompanhar treino na piscina é a coisa mais non-sense que um jornalista pode fazer na vida. Para fotógrafo é legal.As fotos geralmente são boas e divertidas.  Mas repórter? Que conclusão posso tirar eu da pernada de peito, um alongamento ou da batida de perna do Robinho? Chamem o Xuxa pra comentar a Copa América em vez do Pan.

- Para terminar, uma historinha venezuelana. Episódio de hoje: trocar dólares por bolívares.

- A moeda aqui é o Bolívar (se a família do nosso amgo Simão Bolívar cobrasse direito autoral de tudo que leva seu nome na América Latina, estaria rica por gerações). Cada dólar, pelo câmbio oficial, vale cerca de 2100, 2200 bolívares. Como eu tinha a preciosa dica de um amigo que esteve aqui semanas antes, eu já sabia que o canal era trocar com taxistas.

- Qualquer taxista troca para você um dólar por 3000 bolívares. Mas espere. Não ligue ainda!

- Em hotéis bacanas, como o da seleção, alguns seguranças trocam seu dólar por 3500 bolívares.

- Mas, dizem, se você tem cara de rico, vai trocar uma quantidade grande, ou mesmo vai jogar no Cassino, aí você pode conseguir a cotação master power de 4000 bolívares por dólar.

- Ou seja, seus mesmo 100 dólares que pelo câmbio oficial valem 210.000 bolívares, podem valer 400.000 bolívares. Uma 'pequena diferença'.

- Então, se vier para cá, não tenha medo. Por mais esquisito que pareça, troque seus dólares num taxista. Negocie a taxa antes. E prepare-se para ir embora co 400 mil num bolo de nota que dificilmente caberá no seu bolso.