Ryan Bailey

Sex and alcohol helped Brazil win the World Cup

Ryan Bailey
Dirty Tackle

While most international players will be encouraged to prepare for games in South Africa with a combination of abstinence, macrobiotic diets and a glass of warm milk, and a cuddle before bed, former Brazilian left-back Branco (not to be confused with Brazilian Street Fighter II character Blanka) has revealed the rather more licentious approach his side took on the way to winning USA '94.

In news that will delight John Terry and simultaneously terrify every female in the southern hemisphere, the 46-year-old former free-kick specialist insists that a liberal attitude to nookie steered The Samba Kings to victory. Reports The Telegraph:

"My son Stefano was conceived during the 1994 World Cup when I spent a day off in San Francisco with my wife.

"Sex is good for you. It relieves tension. We hadn't won the World Cup for 24 years so it didn't do us any harm."

Branco also revealed the '94 winning side's tendency to have a few drinks during the tournament, a legacy that Ronaldinho has proudly continued throughout his career:

"We were very professional when we won the World Cup in '94. We went there to win it. Drinking was allowed and we'd have three or four drinks to relax. What's wrong with that?

"If it were a problem, then there wouldn't be any football in England or Germany, where they drink beer, or in Italy, France and Argentina where they drink wine. It's part of the culture."

In an age where a manager like Arsene Wenger will check players' blood to see if they have been eating correctly (seriously, he does that), it seems unlikely that any player would be caught boozing during the tournament. Trying to keep someone like Jermain Defoe from having sex, however, would be like trying to keep a block of ice from melting in a furnace. It's not known what would happen to Defoe's physiological state if he were forced to go without for more than six hours, but I wouldn't want to be there when it happens...

Image: Getty

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