The two soccer styles are as different as Rio's sun-drenched Copacabana beach and the wintry windswept strands of Rhyl - and the weather may yet waterlog the Welsh search for success with some boys from Brazil.

Rhyl (third from bottom of the league) have signed Rodrigo Maltarollo of CFZ do Rio following the capture by Rhayader Town (bottom) of Jose Ricardo Rodriguez Ferreira, or "Junior", last October. Both were found on the Internet.

Wet Wales leaves Brazilians cold

Junior, 20, from Santos received an offer of a trial by e-mail after he had advertised his services on the Net. He described Wales as very cold, muddy and wet on his arrival and the signing did not work out.

Maltarollo: Net signing

Now Rodrigo has also paid his own air fare from Brazil and is waiting in a Bed and Breakfast for his chance to prove himself once the paperwork has been sorted out. The forward is very Net savvy and had e-mailed Carlisle United last year in search of a trial. He then sent his CV to Rhyl treasurer David Hughes.

"He's very keen on the Internet. He had an account in Rio and we need to make a pc available for him here now," the Rhyl official told BBC News Online.

"But he is finding it hard at the moment. He said it was 37 degrees in Rio when he left and it's more like zero degrees here."

Rodrigo came with a recommendation from his college coach Carlos Alberto, who captained Brazil when they won the 1994 World Cup.

"He'll be helping us out - we're hoping to have a better second half of the season - and it will give him a shop window to perform in," says David.