Peru, Brazil, Gastronomy and Soccer

Even among gastronomes, there's a dogma that Brazil, especially the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, is a global gastronomic center, endowed with special restaurants, creativity, products, and tradition. In media terms, this dogma doesn't hold up.

Two references confirm this proposition.

Since beginning its adventure in the aforementioned cities, the centuries-old Michelin Guide has yet to find a restaurant worthy of the coveted three stars, which indicate the exceptionality of the place, worthy of a trip in itself, independent of any other attraction.

Furthermore, in the 2025 edition, only three establishments in São Paulo and two in Rio de Janeiro received two stars, which recognize excellence and the deservingness of a detour.

The 50 Best list, a digital publication that helps democratize information about restaurants, released on June 19, 2025, named four Latin American restaurants among the 10 best on the planet; No Brazilians. Among them, two are Peruvian, one of which is considered the best in the world. The only Brazilian among the top 50 is ranked 27th. In fact, another Peruvian, not on the current list, had already reached the top spot in 2023. Never before has a Brazilian restaurant been recognized as the best.

Those who follow the Peruvian scene tend to recognize the attributes that contributed to the conviction (or impression) that something different is happening in this country of approximately 35 million inhabitants: a talented and hard-working generation, racial diversity, local and unique products, research and advertising, lots of advertising.

The emphasis on advertising does not diminish the quality and importance of Peruvian cuisine, but rather reinforces the organizational efficiency of the sector, which competes regionally and globally with other countries for the international consumer.

Thus, with the combination of all these attributes, the neighboring country became a culinary reference and a destination for diners from various parts of the world.

The Club World Cup, held in the United States of America, a country that has unsuccessfully attempted to dominate the world's most popular sport since the 1970s, caused some commotion among the Brazilian public and the Brazilian press, due to the positive results initially achieved by the national teams, in theory (and in practice) less star-studded and competitive than their European counterparts.

The new World Cup format offers a different experience, consisting of the gathering of various regional teams, which do not form a federation or a group with common goals, but which, due to their origins, end up being integrated for comparative purposes—and to measure strength. In this sense, despite this being a mere exercise in futurology, John Textor, the controller of Botafogo, one of the participating Brazilian teams, stated that, in his opinion, a representative from South America will play in the World Cup final.

Perhaps. Even if the prophecy doesn't come true, this moment should draw the attention of Brazilian governments and leaders.

Unlike the gastronomic industry—and the Peruvian scene—soccer in general, and especially Brazilian soccer, is directly or indirectly present in the lives of a significant portion of the world's population: approximately 3.5 billion fans follow them without the need for specific effort on the part of authorities or soccer directors.

In this context, FIFA indicates that, in 2024, the country with the highest number of transfers was Brazil, with 2,350 players (second place was Argentina, with 1,217). Brazilian players also topped the list, reaching USD 1.9 billion, followed by the French, which reached USD 926.9 million.

Even if a fan from Laos or Mozambique doesn't follow soccer in Brazil, or a Brazilian doesn't play for their local team, if they follow European soccer, which is intuitive, they will likely encounter Brazilians, whether on their favorite team or their rivals.

Despite all this, Brazil has undergone a terrible process of image—and brand—deterioration in recent years, in addition to revenue growth, generally at a slower pace than that of European teams, which have become references and destinations for players from countries on other continents. The underdog complex has reached certainty and become a reality, despite its untruth.

No South American club (including, of course, a Brazilian one), even if it advances and eventually wins the World Cup, has a budget comparable to that of its European peers. The highest revenue of a European club is far removed from that of a South American club, and the difference between the second-highest revenues in each region is enormous, and so on.

Despite this, in Brazil, some initial and unrelated initiatives, such as the SAF law and the home team law, have begun to revive the system (which is still far from reaching an acceptable level of size and importance), due to the quality of locally produced players, the tradition of its clubs, and the size of the local fan base—not to mention the possibilities (or needs) of internalization and the capture of a portion of the global consumer base.

Unlike Peru's enormous effort to create a gastronomic industry and an international flow of tourists thanks to a restrictive (and elite) activity, Brazil masters the techniques of the most popular sport on the planet, which reaches billions of devices (cell phones, televisions, etc.) and people, and could be one of its soft powers.

The grandiloquent perspectives have not, so far, piqued the interest of any Brazilian government, which has not recognized—and still does not recognize—the importance of soccer for the country and its people, who are most in need. It's a shame, because while government (or state) inertia prevails, other countries advance and dominate positions that should be Brazilian—and, in doing so, appropriate assets and revenues that should also contribute to the nation's development.