Rai interview: Former Brazil captain on Sao Paulo and 'sticking to sports'
In an exclusive interview with former Brazil captain Rai, he shares his memories of 'the best team of the 1990s' Sao Paulo and why he will never 'stick to sports' while political leaders fail to address injustice and inequality in his homeland and around the world...
Friday 17 July 2020 09:18, UK
Sports and politics are mixing like never before in this country but over in Brazil, that is nothing new. Romario and Bebeto, the strike partnership that fired the Selecao to glory at the 1994 World Cup, have both since gone on to pursue political careers.
But the man who captained Brazil for the first three games of that tournament is arguably even more politically active. Rai, the former Sao Paulo and Paris Saint-Germain playmaker, recently made headlines at home for calling for the resignation of president Jair Bolsonaro.
The right-wing government in Brazil has attracted severe criticism for their handling of the coronavirus crisis. Even so, sticking one's head above the parapet can be a dangerous move.
Rai has heard all the old lines about how he should stick to sport. But for the younger brother of the great Socrates, a man who lit up two World Cups for Brazil and who cited Fidel Castro and Che Guevara as his childhood heroes, that was simply never an option.
"I grew up in one of the most socially unjust countries in the world and I was brought up in a family that raised me to never consider that a normal thing," Rai tells Sky Sports.
"That is what inspires me the most. I don't worry about speaking out because my beliefs and ideas go in the same direction as the beliefs and ideas of a very important part of society.
"We should never be afraid to take a stand.
"After all, we are in a democratic system and we should fight to keep it that way as well."
That means using his voice.
"Sport is one of the most important and influential industries there is," he adds.
"It has an enormous impact in society, economics and politics. Football, in particular, is the most popular sport in the world, and as a result, it reflects a lot of what society is.
"Freedom of expression and debating ideas is the path to make us grow as a society, and sports can have and should have a very big role in that.
"That happens when we provide players with an education that sparks greater questions about matters that go beyond our activities or personal interests."
Rai's own platform in Brazil is a significant one thanks to his role as director of football at Sao Paulo, one of the biggest clubs in Brazil. He is a legend there having captained the side to back-to-back Copa Libertadores triumphs in the early 1990s, scoring in both finals.
"Sao Paulo were the best team in the world back in the '90s," says Rai.
If that sounds like an exaggeration, it should not.
That Sao Paulo team, one that included the great Cafu, were intercontinental champions twice, beating Johan Cruyff's Barcelona in 1992 and Fabio Capello's AC Milan in 1993.
Rai scored both goals in Sao Paulo's 2-1 win over Barcelona's so-called 'Dream Team' of Hristo Stoichkov, Michael Laudrup, Ronald Koeman, Pep Guardiola and the rest.
- £18 Premier League and Football channel offer
- Watch 39 Premier League & 45 EFL games exclusively live
He still has fond memories of a line from Cruyff himself after that victory in Tokyo.
"There was a quote," he recalls.
"He said: 'If you're going to be run over, it better be by a Ferrari.'
"We had a young team but a mature team so it was a good mix. The core was at its peak, we had a lot of technical quality and we had smart players who complemented each other.
"We also had a great coach, a great leader, in Tele Santana, who knew how to maximise the team's potential like no other. He is definitely among the best three coaches of all time."
Rai's success at Sao Paulo led to a move to Europe and a five-year stay at Paris Saint-Germain. He won the title in his first season alongside George Weah and David Ginola before winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1996 - still PSG's only European trophy.
Despite Neymar's best efforts, he is still the fans' favourite Brazilian.
"It is an honour," he says. "It means a lot to me."
But the call of home took him back to Sao Paulo and it is there, inside Sala Rai - Rai's Room - at the Morumbi Stadium, that his cherished World Cup winners' medal is kept.
"My current role as a director is very intense, but in a different way to being a coach," he explains. "A coach has to live that intensity every single day. My routine as a director can be even more intense and frenetic at times, but not necessarily every day.
"I believe the team has reached its best level at the start of this year. Unfortunately, we had to stop because of the pandemic but we have a great and a great coach, so I am very confident for the future and I believe the fans feel that way too."
But Rai's work with Sao Paulo is just part of the story. He has grander plans beyond football and it is the desire to make a difference in the wider community that drives him.
Gol de Letra, the foundation that he established alongside fellow former Brazil international Leonardo in 1998, is committed to providing opportunities and education for children.
It is work that he believes is more important than ever right now.
"Gol de Letra's achievements are down to the hard work of a lot of people that makes the institution what it is and my hope is that it goes far beyond my own existence," he says.
It is very frustrating to see a world that gets richer and richer, but more and more unequal and unjust every day.
"The biggest goal is to give everyone similar opportunities for education and development, regardless of their social status. I hope that it continues to inspire people.
"It is very frustrating to see a world that gets richer and richer, but more and more unequal and unjust every day. I believe that I am contributing as much as I can to a very small change. But what really needs to change is that we need great global leaders.
"We need competent, charismatic leaders who can change the course of history.
"We need people who think about the world as a place that needs balance, harmony and sustainability. Leaders who know that, to make it happen, we need less inequality, more respect and love of our neighbours. Someone who cares about the next generation.
"What we see right now is very worrying, but my hope is that we are just taking a few steps back right now so that we can find a new way out, a new path."
