Why Brazilian Soccer Players Use Only First Names Or Nicknames

With the World Cup kicking off on Thursday, we will once again be reintroduced to Brazil's uncommon tradition in which many of the players are known simply by their first name, a variation of their first name, or a nickname. Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is known around the world as Neymar, Frederico Chaves Guedes is better known as Fred, and Givanildo Vieira de Souza goes by the menacing nickname, Hulk. Unlike most other countries, these names are also used on the back of their jerseys, as op...