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The Silvas of Brazil: Lula, his wife, Neymar and 34 million fellow citizens

From left to right and top to bottom, therapist Andrea da Silva Amaral, goalkeeper José Marcos da Silva, gymnastics teacher Elisabeth de Lima e Silva, street sweeper Adriana Silva dos Reis, ship captain Jaime da Silva, and cleaner Miqueias de Araújo Silva, in Rio de Janeiro.

While waiting to complete paperwork at a notary’s office, Ms. Ivone Souza Silva, 64, who has deep-set circles under her eyes and shoulder-length hair, smiles as she recalls a childhood anecdote: “At school, the surname of half the class or almost half was Silva, like me… And like Ayrton Senna.” And so, unexpectedly, this housewife mentions a fact many of her fellow Brazilians do not know about the Formula 1 champion whose death behind the wheel at the peak of his career in 1994 shocked the sporting world. On Wednesday morning she learned that his full name was Ayrton Senna da Silva.

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Andrea da Silva Amaral in Rio de Janeiro.
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