Bryan Robson - hero of David Beckham and probably the man most responsible for introducing Brazilians to top-flight English football - proved the star turn at the annual Brazilian Soccer Schools coaches course.

The former Manchester United and England captain led a training session at Trinity and All Saints' College, Horsforth, in front of all the regional representatives, including Bradford's head coach, Stuart Owen, and five players from the Bradford Brazilian Soccer School.

Robson, 46, was attracted to the Brazilian Soccer Schools due to the will there is to help young players become more skilful and intelligent on the ball. What stands out to him is the way their players use the Brazilian game of Futebol de Salao - played with a smaller ball that does not bounce - to improve their ball control. This is what makes the Brazilians a cut above the rest.

Simon Clifford, who was responsbile for bringing Futebol de Salao to the United Kingdom, invited Robson to the training course because he believes that without the much-capped English midfielder British football may not have moved forward in the way that it has with the aid of Brazilian players.

Clifford said: "With all the current hype surrounding Brazilian footballers in Britain, yoiu may ask where it has come from. In a sense Robson should take some of the credit. He was the man who took calculated risks and signed players such as Juninho and Emerson when many believed that Brazilians would not be able to fit into our game."

Robson, unsurprisingly, is a keen believer in the Brazilian game and was impressed with the work that Clifford and his cohorts have done. Robson said: "It makes absolute sense to train our young generation of footballers the same way as the Brazilians, as they have obviously got it right. I really do believe that this type of training will ensure that the next Juninho or Ronaldinho is home-grown."