Brazil's newest soccer team is known as the "Gigantes do Norte", which means "Giants of the North". Yet the average height of the 18-person team is no more than 4ft, with the shortest at 3ft 3inches and the tallest at 4ft 7 inches. Meet the world's first all dwarf-only soccer team.
Carlos Lucena, a professional coach got this idea when he invited a dwarf friend to play soccer with his regular team. His friend was so talented that Lucena decided to recruit only people affected with dwarfism and start a brand new team. He also wanted to show the people of Brazil that dwarves can be good soccer players despite their size.
He has not been disappointed. The Gigantes who play mostly against youth teams have managed to beat almost every rival team they have played since they were formed in January. The members of the team say that being part of the team has helped them feel really good about themselves and they love playing the game. They also have many fans and like any other respectable soccer players - have adopted nicknames. The striker Ronaldo is also known as "The Phenomenon", while Cazemiro Ribeiro, one of the best players in the team calls himself "Vagner Love" and struts around with a "cool dude" attitude.
Word is that the folks at Guinness Book of World Records are considering putting the "Gigantes do Norte" in next year's edition.