India, Oct. 2 -- "In Brazil, football is not just a game but king of all sports and the players are not just men but giants." With that, and the visual of a foot cushioning the ball after gently knocking it up, began, "Giants Of Brazil."

That quote, John Shakespeare's rousing music, visuals of the violence - some of them Chaplinesque even if they were no laughing matter - on the pitch and the novelty of watching football at a standalone cinema are things I remember from the documentary.

In the four decades since, I have seen "Mineirazo" from the media tribune, reported on three more World Cup finals hoping to see Brazil win a sixth and learnt that football is the most important of the least important things in that country.

At the Metl...