From The Sidelines: A collage of names, faces and colours

Mabrouk. Mabrouk. Mabrouk. And so it went. It became a riddle…a song. "Mabrouk, Habibi" and I was being hugged from the left, kissed from the right. But I didn't do anything to deserve it…

"It means congratulatons," said Mustapha, a computer magician and guardian angel at Computer Plaza.

"Pues Muchas Gracias!" said Pablo San Roman, the man responsible for the Agence France Presse.

"Asi es mas bonito!" said the Spaniard. "Thanks a lot…this is a beautiful way of playing".

But I did not play…

"Oh sir, so nice to see Brazil are champions, I really come back happy to my country, after seeing this game. A dream…" said the emotionally drained boy from Kerala.

But I did not do so much…

Ciao, Bello! Arrivederci a Roma. Un'altra volta, giusto Ricardo," greeted Matteo Dalla Vite, my long-time friend from Bologna, Italy, representing the Gazzeta Dello Sport.

What he said? "Bye beautiful friend. See you in Rome. Once again you win, ha, Ricardo?"

But I did not win anything…

"Gome ne'! Sumimasen, Arigato, Dozo Itashimashte!' exclaimed the short of breath Makiko Takahashi, the young and pretty girl representing a sports paper in Tokyo. She told me to forgive her, and to please accept her thanks and acknowledgments.

But I did do that much…

These were the emotions I experienced in those 28 days at the UAE. A mosaic of tastes, a scrambled picture of millions of pixels, forming some of the prettiest images my imagination could conjure in one lifetime.

I had all I needed: a window, a white piece of paper and some colourful crayons.

The window was this golden opportunity of coming to know the people of the UAE, its people and its culture during the World Youth Cup. The paper was the Gulf News and the crayons were, of course all the people and places I had the pleasure of meeting.

I knew I did not leave my home in Brazil, so far away, for nothing. Where there is a ball rolling in a World Cup, there I am, I said to my self. So,the stories in these columns could not have been so rich without those characters having crossed my way, daily, offering me rich content. I had so many experiences I will never forget. Remember the "Megaphone Girl 'Inaja' encouraging Brazil at every single game? Or Said, the Egyptian taxi driver, who always welcomed me in his cabsinging "Brasil…la,lalala,lala"?

Ibrahim Abdel Malik and his kindness. He could solve problems in a flash.

I do not forget Rolando Chilavert, brother of the famous goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, and coach of Paraguay here. Or the mathematics I did for the readers on how I got here.

Remember? Twenty-six and a half hours between planes and waiting time, plus six hours of time difference. All this in order to be here and meet the most important Brazilian trio in the Middle East football today: Luiz Alberto da Silva, Arthur Bernardes and Robson Alves.

But finally, it is time to award the first prize: the 'Ricardo do Brazil Award'. And this goes to the Gulf News sports desk who brought to you all my adventures.

Hey guys…don't cut this one. I am a world champion too…See you all soon, my amigos! A hug from a very happy Brazilian!

Ricardo Setyon is the FIFA-appointed spokesperson of the senior national Brazilian team