African footballers chase their dreams in Brazil

For King Faisal, a 20-year-old winger from Ghana, the invitation to move to Brazil to play football is easily summed up: "It was a dream."

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"I believed when I came here, it would help me change the life of my family and many other people," he said.

For the past 18 months, he has been playing for the Under-20 squad of Sao Paulo, one of South America's top clubs.

He and a small number of other Africans are today tearing across pitches in Brazil, known as the biggest producer and exporter of footballers in the world, from Pele to Neymar.

For at least one, though, the transformative opportunity has also been tinged by racism.

In Brazil, an incubator for star players bought up by Europe's moneyed elite clubs, the benefit in return is new blood for its lower divisions, with players who are fiercely committed.

The Africans also are paid less than footballers from neighboring Argentina and Uruguay.

And European sides are also increasingly showcasing talented African players, burnishing their appeal and helping demolish long-standing barriers in Brazilian clubs against foreign talent.

"It's about intensity," said Ricardo Manfrim Goncalves, of the Quality agency, which represents players.

"They are going to commit more than what even a Brazilian player will."