While soccer fans worldwide will witness the familiar sight of players warming up in circles before World Cup matches, in Rio de Janeiro, those same movements have evolved into something much more meaningful.
In Brazil’s iconic city, residents have transformed the traditional warm-up routine into a beloved street game called “altinha,” where participants use everything except their hands and arms to keep a soccer ball floating through the air. This activity serves as both a group effort and an individual showcase of talent.
“The feeling is wonderful,” said Patrick Emanuel, a 21-year-old at a court near the Engenhao soccer stadium where hundreds of people gather every Monday night to play altinha. “When we are playing … we get distracted, cut off from all problems.”
According to Cecilia Lang, the director of “Bola Pro Alto,” an award-winning documentary about the game, altinha emerged on Rio’s beaches during the 1960s when beach soccer was experiencing tremendous growth and players would practice these drills before competitions.
Lang explained that by the 1980s, the practice had evolved into its own distinct activity, becoming a platform for displaying impressive techniques between players working in perfect coordination.
The objective involves creating such smooth and graceful ball movement between participants that they reach a harmonious state where “the mind is no longer there,” Lang explained.
“I’ve always seen it as a beachside spectacle,” she said. “No one is going to take the ball from you. So that moment when the ball comes to you, that’s the magic.”
The activity has gained such worldwide recognition that supporters, including Senator Romario Faria, a celebrated former soccer player, are pushing to establish it as an Olympic competition.
“When that happens, I’ll apply to represent Brazil again in the Olympics,” said Romario, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994.
Currently, altinha supporters have created competitive events where the complexity of moves and duration of airborne ball control factor into final rankings.
Artur Marques, who regularly participates in altinha on Rio’s beaches and at the Engenhao court, has transformed his passion into a career. Initially aspiring to become a professional soccer player, he discovered a different path when those dreams didn’t materialize.
“I started recording videos for the internet and realized I had found my place there,” he said. “Now I live off it, it’s my only income.”
