Robinho Taking His Game to New Heights

Given the opportunity to grab the spotlight for his national
team, Robinho, Brazil's prodigiously gifted forward, is
leading his side admirably and looks poised to establish
himself as one of the superstars of the 2007 Copa America
tournament. With All-Universe midfielders Ronaldinho and Kaka
asking out of the competition, citing fatigue, the door was
left wide open for the emergence of a new Brazilian superstar
on the international stage. Robinho, the most talented and
highest profile member of this side, has stepped into this role
as fluidly as he steps over his dribbles on the pitch, scoring
an amazing six goals in the team's last three games, netting
all four goals in back-to-back victories against Chile (3-0)
and Ecuador (1-0), and adding two more in a 6-1 thumping of
Chile in the tournament's quarterfinal. With the exception of
its 2-0 opening match loss to Mexico, Brazil has produced an
impressive march to the semifinals, due in large part to
a world-class effort from Robinho, who has transitioned
smoothly from Real Madrid's championship run in the Spanish
Primera Liga to the Copa America competition.

At just 23 years old, Robinho has already spent an inordinate
amount of time in the spotlight. He joined the youth program
of Santos, one of Brazil's best-known professional clubs and
the club with whom the King of football, Pele, spent his entire
Brazilian career, at age 9. Over the years, due to his
relatively small frame and masterful ball skills, combined with
his relationship with Pele during his time in Santos' youth
program, inevitably led to Robinho being tabbed "the next Pele."
Despite an excellent record in his four years at Santos, scoring
60 goals in just 137 games, as well as being named 2005 World
Soccer Young Player of the Year and securing a big money
transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid, Robinho has yet to
confirm his superstardom on the global stage. In the 2007 Copa
America, this is changing before our eyes.

Robinho's solid performance in Real Madrid's championship run
in La Liga was apparently just a taste of the bigger-and-
better things that were to come. While it's true that even in
the absence of Ronaldinho and Kaka, Brazil's Copa America
side is hardly devoid of world-class talent, featuring, among
others, talents like Arsenal's Gilberto Silva, Werder Bremen
midfielder Diego, as well as Anderson, a recent big-dollar
addition to English champions Manchester United. With that
said, Robinho's outstanding performance thus far in the
tournament has him at the forefront of the Brazilian team, and
has team Brazil just a July 10 win over Uruguay away from a
place in the final match.

The stage is now set for Robinho's breakthrough. If his next
180 minutes of football are anything like his last 270,
Robinho's star will spectacularly rise to new heights.