One reason (for the success of Futebol de Salão) lies in the math. Futebol de Salão players touch the ball far more than conventional 11-a-side soccer players - 6 times more often per minute, according to a Liverpool University study. The smaller, heavier ball demands and rewards more precise handling - as coaches point out, you can’t get out of a tight spot simply by booting the ball downfield.

Sharp passing is paramount: the game is all about looking for angles and spaces and working quick combinations with other players. Ball control and vision are crucial, so that when Futebol de Salão players play the full-size game, they feel as if they have acres of space in which to operate... As Dr Miranda (professor of football at the University of Sao Paolo) summed up, ‘No time plus no space equals better skills. Futebol de Salão is our national laboratory of improvisation.’

Almost all of the most revered Brazilian footballers were schooled in Futebol de Salão.

Pelé, widely regarded as the greatest precise handling - as coaches point out, you can’t get out of a tight spot simply by booting the ball downfield.

Sharp passing is paramount: the game is all about looking for angles and spaces and working quick combinations with other players. Ball control and vision are crucial, so that when Futebol de Salão players play the full-size game, they feel as if they have acres of space in which to operate... As Dr Miranda (professor of football at the University of Sao Paolo) summed up, ‘No time plus no space equals better skills. Futebol de Salão is our national laboratory of improvisation.’

Almost all of the most revered Brazilian footballers were schooled in Futebol de Salão.

Pelé, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time: ‘Futebol de Salão was important in helping to develop my ball control, quick thinking, and passing.’

Zico, a brilliant striker who scored fifty-two goals in seventy-two international matches for Brazil: ‘I played only Futebol de Salão as a youngster. It’s the best start for kids.’

Ronaldo, one of the highest goal-scorer in the history of the World Cup and one of only two men to have been named FIFA World Player of the Year three times: ‘Futebol de Salão is how I really got started. This is my love, the thing that I enjoyed the most.’

Ronaldinho, one of the most creative footballers of his generation and twice World Player of the Year: ‘When you come to play normal football, it’s easy if you’ve come from Futebol de Salão.’