A DROITWICH six-a-side football team is fast-becoming one of the most popular on the internet.

Jogo Bonito are enjoying a successful season and are currently third in the Spa’s Sunday Leisure League competition after 12 rounds of matches.

Yet in recent weeks their fan-base has grown dramatically as their match reports in the Worcester News continue to make it to the top of the charts on our website.

Their success has even eclipsed stories about Worcester City Football Club’s high-profile annual general meeting in the most-read standings.

So what makes Jogo Bonito, who play matches on the astroturf at Droitwich Leisure Centre, so appealing?

Spokesman Gary Lovett, also a defender for the team, says the players were not aware of their new-found fame but added: “The manager who took the team over two years ago invited my friends to join with him so we decided to join up and kept the team name (Jogo Bonito).”

Although Jogo Bonito would love to lay claim to a growing global support, it appears their soaring profile is down to their name.

When translated, Joga Bonito means ‘play beautifully’ in Portuguese and has formed part of a Nike advertising campaign featuring stars such as Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho.

So it seems football fans around the world are searching for the term, spelling it incorrectly and, instead, learning about the exploits of a bunch of amateur footballers from Droitwich.

Lovett added: “I was speaking to a friend and he reckons it was because it was a Portugeuse team started it and we took over the name.

“We lost our last game and at the moment we are third in the league. It’s a bit of a tight league but usually we are top.”