The biggest rivalry that exists between the Brazilians is between paulistas (born in the state of Sao Paulo) and cariocas (born in the state of Rio de Janeiro). When the subject is football then ...

This rivalry started, how far I know, when Sao Paulo began to enrich due to the export of coffee at the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century. At that time, Rio de Janeiro was the Brazil’s capital, it was the largest city, which had a more intense cultural life, which most influenced the Brazilians, and the dream of many people was to live in there. It was (and still is, I must emphasize) a cosmopolitan city.

Sao Paulo has grown rapidly, enriching, and has became a industrial city because of the World Wars (The country could not buy products from industrialized Europe and had to use the surplus money from coffee to build factories that could supplied the national market). A new bourgeois class has emerged, rich and very powerful, choosing even all the presidents. At the 30’s this stopped because of a coup d’état (it was too much power and the paulistas were selfish), but Sao Paulo continued to dominate the country economically.

The rivalry was so big that the cariocas used to say that Rio was a gift of God to men. The paulistas used to say that Sao Paulo was a gift of men to God. At that time, the two cities should be really wonderful, because even large, have not had the major problems (traffic, violence, slums, pollution) as today.

But Rio is no longer the Brazilian capital (now Brasilia) and Sao Paulo continued to exercise their right to be arrogant and cosmopolitan. The “romanticism” has gone, and now people have to face the reallity. This reality that varies between shades of gray and red and has the smell of smoke and evil is constant.

The rivalry still exists, that does not disappear, but “the numbers” indicate that Sao Paulo is winning and in many ways. It is the largest and richest, violence is diminishing each year that passes, and “choose” the presidents again, but what about Rio? “The Rio de Janeiro continues beautiful ...”, but now needs the Army in the streets to ensure security for the population. Do I need to say something more?