🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland’s hand in Brazil’s football origins

When Brazil and Scotland meet in Miami for their World Cup match on June 24, rounding off their Group C campaign, it will write a new chapter in what is an important shared football history between the two countries. Here, however, I’m not referring to Billy Bremner’s miss in 1974, or Zico’s masterclass in 1982. The ties that bind in this case extend much further back in history.

Indeed, the Scotland link can be traced back to the very foundations of football in Brazil.

In 1860, engineer John Miller emigrated from the small village of Fairlie in west central Scotland to southeastern Brazil, to help build the railway linking São Paulo to the port of Santos. There, he wed Carlota Fox, a Brazilian-English bachelorette from a wealthy family, and together they had a son, Charles, born in 1874. 

John and Carlota sent young Master Charles to Britain for his education, and he spent 10 years at the reputable Banister Court school in Hampshire. It was during this time that Charles Miller learned about the sport of football, and he became an accomplished center-forward playing for St. Mary’s, the club now known as Southampton FC…

Don’t miss out! Upgrade to unlock full access. The process takes only seconds with Apple Pay or Stripe. Become a member.

We’re here for readers who want to truly understand Brazil and Latin America — a region too often ignored or misrepresented by the international media.

Since 2017, our reporting has been powered by paid subscribers. They’re the reason we can keep a full-time team of journalists across Brazil and Argentina, delivering sharp, independent coverage every day.

If you value our work, subscribing is the best way to keep it going — and growing.