Following his passion
This is the sixth in a series of stories about Harvard’s engagement in Latin America. SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Tim Linden’s love affair with Brazil began with his attraction to the nation’s most popular passion, something that has seduced millions: jogo bonito, or the beautiful game. An avid soccer player as a teen, the Illinois native was at an international soccer tournament in Spain in 2005 when he met a group of Brazilians who were in the competition. “That was my first contact with the Brazilian players. They were such a lively group, both on and off the field,” Linden ’12 recalled. “I just kind of fell in love with the Brazilian way, the Brazilian Portuguese language.” Thanks to his longtime Mexican soccer coach, who taught him Spanish, Linden didn’t hesitate when choosing his first class as a Harvard freshman in 2008, signing up to take Portuguese for Spanish speakers. During college, Linden made...