Former European Player: Brazil's Soccer Fields Inferior

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Chicago Daily Herald

Greener grass: a World Cup legacy for Brazil?

At Arsenal's Highbury Stadium, Edu played on one of soccer's finest fields. The team's award-winning groundskeeper, Paul Burgess, became so noted for his green fingers he was eventually lured away by Real Madrid.

So when Edu returned home to Brazil in 2009 to finish his career, the worn and sorry state of some Brazilian soccer fields was an eye-opener. Even now, as the World Cup host rushes to ready itself, Edu says the fields in Brazil aren't on a par with those in Europe, where he played for eight years, at Arsenal and Valencia.

"England, Germany, fantastic (fields). Spain, they're good as well," the former midfielder told The Associated Press. "If you see around the world, they are at another level than Brazil."

Now retraining in soccer management, Edu says he bends the ears of all and sundry in Brazil about the need for better playing surfaces.