The National Men’s Football Teams of Costa Rica and Mexico have chosen their respective training facilities ahead of the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although both teams will be hosted by Santos FC, Mexico chose the magnificent Rei Pele (Pele the King) training center, which features a state-of-the-art gym and two modern pitches. Costa Rica, on the other hand, will train in one of the smallest First Division stadiums in Brazil.

The legendary Santos Futebol Clube, also known as Peixe, is one of the most respected professional football teams in the world. This is the team where Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, saw his first days as the brightest stars of the jogo bonito -the beautiful game. Neymar, Robinho and many other first-rate players were also part of Santos at some point in their careers.

The stadium where Costa Rica will train before the World Cup starts is the Vila Belmiro (Estadio Urbano Caldeira), which seats less than 17,000. In 1958, Pele scored 58 goals for Santos, and many of them were scored at home. To be able to train on the pitch where Pele drove fans crazy on any given Sunday is an incomparable honor for the players of Costa Rica’s La Sele. The vibe and pure football inspiration that can be felt in this stadium is amazing.

As reported by the EFE news agency of Spain for La Prensa Libre of Costa Rica, the Santos FC board of directors are happy that Costa Rica chose the small Vila Belmiro stadium over the many other ultra-modern facilities across Brazil. The historical stadium is located on an island that is part of a major maritime port complex located about 80 kilometers from the populous city of Sao Paulo. This is also where Costa Rica will hold press conferences as it matches up against World Cup champions Italy, Uruguay and the United Kingdom.