| Do you remember the famous movie of the early 80s | | | | World Cup, have special stickers on the furniture of |
| "the Blues Brothers" with Dan Aykroyd and the late | | | | their rooms showing the direction to Mecca in order to |
| John Belushi. The two heroes were able to overcome | | | | motivate their prayers. They also celebrated their first |
| all the obstacles in their way and to avoid their | | | | goal against Tunisia with a short prayer to their God. |
| pursuers until the last scene of the film. "They'll never | | | | The Iranian national team asked for a special room |
| get caught. They're on a mission from God" was the | | | | dedicated to prayer in their hotel in Friedrichshafen and |
| tagline of the film. The current Brazilian national soccer | | | | to the dismay of their coach they gave up hours of |
| team, which plays at the World Cup in Germany, | | | | sleep before their first game against Yugoslavia to |
| reminded me of the Blues Brothers. Although they | | | | participate in a long, late-night Islamic ceremony held to |
| prefer samba music to blues, they seem to be | | | | mourn a seventh-century Shiite Muslim saint. |
| unstoppable and although they are not on a mission | | | | The organizing committee locked the chapels that are |
| from God their religiosity is obvious. | | | | located in the Olympiastadion in Berlin and in the Veltins |
| The Brazilian players often pray and some of them | | | | Arena in Gelsenkirchen so as to avoid criticism for |
| wear T-shirts with religious slogans under their | | | | religious racism, but the question remains, "Does |
| uniforms. Lucio, one of the team's best defenders was | | | | praying and strong belief affect the players' |
| wearing a T-shirt with the message «Jesus | | | | performance?" Legendary veteran player Pele, who |
| loves you» in last World Cup's final game in | | | | won the Cup three times, straightens out the issue with |
| Yokohama. Kaka, a talented midfielder wears similar | | | | his statement. "I never prayed to win a game or to |
| T-shirts, while Ze Roberto another midfielder according | | | | score. My first care was to remain healthy and after |
| to the Columbian newspaper "El Pais" plans to | | | | that I was praying to God that a match shouldn't finish |
| become a pastor of the Evangelical Church. Another | | | | without a score (0-0)". Lucio, on the other hand, |
| Brazilian, Luis Felipe Scolari, who is the coach of the | | | | supports that "the team that gives God the utmost |
| national team of Portugal, has chosen for his team a | | | | glory deserves to be the champion in the World Cup |
| training center in Marienfeld close to a 12th-century | | | | 2006". Time will tell which of this year's World Cup |
| monastery, in order for him to visit it every morning and | | | | teams will make it to be the World Champion of 2006, |
| pray. | | | | but one thing is for sure. Soccer funs will have the |
| Brazilians are not the only religious players in the World | | | | opportunity to admire the world's best soccer players' |
| Cup. Saudi Arabian players, who have reduced their | | | | score, regardless of their religious beliefs. |
| prayers from five to three during the first phase of the | | | | |