QWhen it comes to the World Championship, Rio Grande do Sul is a true hotbed of champions. Home to some of the greatest sporting talents in the country’s history, the state not only saw its teams win the main trophies around the world, but also provided important athletes who made up national squads that made history.
Whether in Serra Gaúcha, in the capital Porto Alegre or in the other cities that make up the entire state, Rio Grande do Sul has a direct participation in winning world titles in at least four different sports.
Poker
In the world of card games, two gauchos have already become world champions in the main poker circuit on the planet, the World Series of Poker, which has in-person and online events, always played over the same concepts that make up the fifth sport of the mind on all continents.
The first of them was Renan Bruschi, born in Gaurama, a municipality in the northwest region of the state. The now 35-year-old player won the title of the 14th stage of the WSOP online in 2021, in what was the 15th gold bracelet won by a Brazilian in the series. In the same edition, Bruschi had already finished runner-up, but didn’t let the second chance slip away.
In November last year, it was Allan Mello’s turn to bring the 30th world poker title to Brazil. On that occasion, the player born in Canoas won the WSOP Paradise stage, held in the Bahamas. Subsequently, the country ended the year 2023 with 31 bracelets won in the history of the world cup, 14 of which in in-person events and another 17 in virtual competitions.
Soccer
As expected, Brazilian football has direct participation of players from Rio Grande do Sul in four of the five world titles won by the main men’s team. In the 1958 and 1970 World Cups, the representatives were defenders Oreco (Santa Maria) and Everaldo (Porto Alegre), respectively. The first was revealed by Internacional, while the second played for Grêmio.
In 1994, Rio Grande do Sul had four champions in the World Cup in the United States, among them: goalkeepers Taffarel (Santa Rosa) and Gilmar Rinaldi (Erechim), left-back Branco (Bagé) and midfielder Dunga (Ijuí) , who was also the team captain and lifted the much-desired tetra cup.
Eight years later, three gauchos had direct participation in winning the fifth championship in Asian lands. Within the four lines, Ronaldinho Gaúcho from Porto Alegre enchanted the world with his plays and that iconic goal against England in the quarter-finals. He was also joined by defender Ânderson Polga (Santiago), while on the bench the team was led by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari (Passo Fundo).
Volleyball
If football has always been a source of pride for Brazilians, volleyball is not far behind. After all, the sport enjoyed a golden age in the country, with countless international achievements, including three World Cups and three other trophies in World Championships. In these casts, at least one gaucho was always present to represent the state.
The best known of them is the defender Gustavo, born in Passo Fundo, who participated in four of these victories: in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups and in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. His brother, Murilo (born in the same city), played in the 2007 and in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, totaling three titles of this kind with the national team shirt.
In addition to the brother duo, Rio Grande do Sul saw André Heller (Novo Hamburgo) win the 2003 and 2007 World Cups and the 2006 World Cup. Finally, in 2019, in Brazil’s last World Cup victory, they were part of the squad the gauchos Fernando Kreling (Caxias do Sul), Lucão (Colinas) and Thales Hoss (São Leopoldo).
Tennis
Although tennis does not have a competition specifically called a world cup, experts in the sport have treated the Grand Slam tournaments with the same weight, as they are made up of the four biggest events on the calendar, played every year. In this scenario, Brazil has already had 15 champions, considering professional, youth and wheelchair events
Of this total, three are Gauchos. The first of them was Porto Alegre’s Thomaz Koch, mixed doubles champion at Roland Garros in 1975, alongside Uruguayan Fiorella Bonicelli. In 2014, Orlando Luz (Carazinho) won the Wimbledon youth men’s doubles with Marcelo Zormann from São Paulo. Last year, it was Rafael Mato’s turn, also from Porto Alegre, to win the mixed doubles draw at the Australian Open in partnership with São Paulo’s Luisa Stefani.