'A symbol of strength' The Brazilian pop sensation named after Gary Lineker

The house lights were dimmed in one of Rio de Janeiro's top music venues and, as the star of the show prepared to take the stage, enraptured fans cried out their idol's name in the darkness: "Liniker!

- Tom Phillips

Liniker! Liniker! Liniker!" It was not, however, the England striker-turned-Match of the Day host Gary Lineker the sellout crowd was here to see. It was Lineker's Brazilian namesake: a Grammywinning pop sensation whose mesmerising performances and soul-stirring songs have captured the hearts and minds of millions.

"I've loved my name ever since I was a kid... [it] has such a wonderful sound," the 29-year-old told the Guardian, recalling how it was chosen at the suggestion of a footballing-loving uncle.

"People used to really struggle to pronounce it. [They would say]: 'Leeniker... Linker or Lynicker...[or] Linkin Park," joked the singersongwriter. "Lately, what they've most called me is 'LinkedIn': 'Oh, You're that singer LinkedIn, aren't you?"" Liniker added with a laugh.

Brazil's Liniker - full name Liniker de Barros Ferreira Camposwas born in Araraquara, a small city north of São Paulo, in 1995, a year after the English goalscorer retired.

As well as a chart-topping musician revered for a huge vocal range, Liniker - who is black, trans and has working-class roots - is also a symbol of diversity and tolerance in a country that only recently emerged from a bleak spell under Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right populist notorious for racist comments and hostility to minorities.