Graceful Gaia finds a little Brazil in Exeter

He has gone from Brazil's youth team to the Conference, yet the Grecians defender offers no complaints to Glenn Moore

"Santos joined the Grecians after an impressive pre-season in 2002, but got a red card on his debut for the club."

And that's it. That is all www.ecfcfans.com, a website run for and by Exeter City supporters, has to say about the recruitment of Santos Gaia. It is as if Brazilian youth internationals are as much a feature at St James Park as French full internationals at Highbury. You can almost imagine the conversation in Cathedral Close: "We've signed a Brazilian." "Oh really? Another one?"

Now Brazil may be the world's most prolific exporter of football talent, and there may be a historic link with Exeter City, the first English team to visit Brazil, in 1914, but it is still a surprise to find a compatriot of Ronaldo playing for such a far-flung Nationwide Conference club. Socrates' appearance at Garforth Town was bizarre but it was a one-off publicity stunt. Santos Gaia is here to earn a long-term living. His story is a parable of our times. It is a tale of globalisation, of migratory employment trends, of human adaptability.

Gaia's journey to Exeter, for whom he plays in the FA Cup second round against Doncaster today, began in São Mateus, a small city the 26-year-old describes as "close to Rio de Janeiro - only eight hours away". At 11 he left his parents to join the youth system of Vitoria de Baia in Salvador, a sprawling port city on Brazil's eastern coast. He progressed to the Brazilian under-17 team and was a member of the side beaten by the suspiciously mature Ghanaians in the 1995 World Championships. His team-mates included two current Brazilian internationals, the Flamengo goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who has been linked with Chelsea and Arsenal, and the Bayer Leverkusen defender Juan. The Valencia centre-back Fabio Aurelio, who played for Brazil in the Olympics, was kept on the bench by Gaia, who had marked out of the game another Valencia player, Argentina's playmaker Pablo Aimar, in the semi-final.

This should have been the springboard for a glittering career but Gaia's began to go awry when, while still a teenager, he left Brazil to try his luck at a semi-professional club in Spain. He was successful personally, meeting and marrying his wife Alessandra, but professionally he failed to climb the leagues and returned to South America to play for a variety of moderate teams (among them was Corinthians, but he explains this is not the São Paulo club for whom Arsenal's Edu played).

Gaia's determination to play in Europe had not been extinguished. For most Brazilian footballers Europe is the promised land. As Alex Bellos, in his study of the Brazilian game, Futebol, notes, being a footballer in Europe confers status on, and brings wealth to, the extended family. Such rewards have persuaded more than 5,000 Brazilians to play abroad, doing so at such diverse places as the Faroe Islands and Vietnam. That there are Brazilians at Exeter - and Conference rivals Woking and Carlisle, is not so strange after all.

This fertile trade in human talent requires middle men. Only Italy boasts more Fifa-accredited agents than England and to keep themselves in Havanas they have to cast the net wide. Two years ago an agent recommended Gaia to John Cornforth, then manager of Exeter. He came on trial in pre-season and, as the website said, impressed.

A few youth caps do not a work permit secure but his wife's dual nationality, and the intervention of the town's MP, Labour's Ben Bradshaw, enabled Exeter to complete the deal. Although the club have since endured administration and relegation, and their financial position remains parlous, neither party have looked back.

"He's done really well for us," said Steve Perryman, the former Tottenham legend now Exeter's (unpaid) director of football. "He's very athletic, very quick. He's our top goalscorer and a good man, a decent man."

It is an impressive testimonial from a man known for his own decency and on brief acquaintance it does not seem misplaced. While his compatriot at Old Trafford, Kleberson, this month bemoaned English food Gaia has developed such a taste for fish and chips that he had to cut down his consumption. He plays golf and has learned passable English, quite an achievement given that he has had no lessons, just picked it up in the dressing-room. His popularity in there was evident from the gentle ribbing delivered by team-mate Barry McConnell as we chatted on the veranda of the pavilion at Exeter's Cat & Fiddle training ground this week.

His assimilation began with a name change. "My name is Marcio dos Santos Gaia," he reveals, "but Santos is easier for English people to say." The first few months were difficult. On the pitch it was a culture shock, off it he was lonely. "Brazilian football is very different football. All players pass and pass including defenders. Here there were loads of tackles and strong football. It was hard at first but now I love this football." So much so he has scored eight times in 19 matches this season and has been nominated for November's Conference player of the month award.

Perryman explained that when Gaia arrived his desire to pass the ball out from the back caused problems, partly because his team-mates were not expecting it. "Passes were cut out, goals conceded, the crowd went crazy," said Perryman. "But he learned very quickly we don't do that at this level. He became a lower-league centre-back but he has quality inside. You can see that with a lot of what he does. That's why he is a very interesting player. We are in the Conference but we don't see ourselves being here for ever and as we go up through the leagues he can be a great asset to us."

Gaia was simultaneously getting to know people in Devon, including several compatriots. He now has a daughter and the family are happily ensconced in the city, but he admits: "I miss my parents, my brothers, my friends. It's hard when you leave your city very young like I did."

With his sad eyes and soft voice Gaia suddenly seemed a long way from home. Since it was, by English standards, a glorious winter's day I gestured at the pale sun and suggested lamely: "It's just like Brazil."

"It's nice now, but it was cold this morning," he said with a smile. "At home it is never less than 24 degrees. In Spain it was wet, but not this cold. I had never seen snow before here. But there is a beach here, like in Salvador, and it is a nice city. Brazil is only for holidays. My life is here now. I have a year left after this season and I will work hard for another contract."

This week, while Juan and Fabio Aurelio play in the Champions' League, Gaia will be at Dagenham & Redbridge. It is not quite what he dreamed of when the three were team-mates in those famous canary yellow jerseys, but he is a professional footballer, and he is playing in Europe.

Conference Call The Exotic Journeymen

Brazil Magno Vieira (Carlisle) Adriano Basso (Woking)

The three Brazilians in the Conference are spread far and wide. Vieira, October's Conference player of the month is a striker on loan from Championship side Wigan for the season. Basso, a 29-year-old goalkeeper, arrived at Woking from Brazilian First Division side Atletico PR in March. He had previously played in Switzerland and had a trial with QPR.

Iraq Shwan Jalal (Woking)

Born in Baghdad in 1983 Jahal moved to England while still young and grew up in Hastings. A goalkeeper, he began with Hastings United before signing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2002. He joined Woking on loan for 2002-03 and, after Spurs released him in the summer, returned to Kingfield permanently. Has received some isolated "banter" from opposition fans.

Ivory Coast Raphael Nade (Woking) Alex Tiesse (Woking)

Though both players were born in the troubled African nation they each grew up in Europe, Nadé in France, Tiesse in England. Nadé arrived at Woking in 2002 via Hampton & Richmond and Welling having crossed the Channel to live, rather than play, in the UK. He had previously played for Le Havre. Tiesse, 19, joined this season from Millwall.

Malawi Tamika Mkandawire (Hereford)

Mkandawire was born in Malawi in May 1983 and played for Hereford last season on loan from West Bromwich Albion for whom he had signed at 16. He joined Hereford permanently earlier this season having failed to make a League appearance at Albion. Though Mkandawire is predominantly a central defender, the 21-year-old has also played in midfield.

Nigeria Tobi Jinadu (Aldershot)

The Lagos-born defender who, though only 20, has already played for Bristol Rovers, Welling, Farnborough, Harrow Borough, Croydon and Sutton, finally joining Aldershot in July. Jinadu has been equally unsettled positionally, beginning as a striker and playing at left-back and right-back before settling into his current role at centre-half.