Raphinha: “This country doesn’t deserve Neymar”
The seleção winger has defended Neymar after the injured forward was criticised in the first game against Serbia.
Neymar’s ankle injury, put frankly, has not gone down well in Brazil.
However, even apart from the setback that means the player will miss the remaining two group games, there were fans who were not satisfied with the overall performance of the PSG player in the 2-0 win against Serbia. Although Brazil won 2-0 and left a shining impression on everyone who watched the match, some Brazilians rallied against their talisman number 10.
It should be noted that Neymar is coming into this World Cup after the controversy generated by his statements supporting Jair Bolsonaro in the recent elections in Brazil, something that divided the country and made many citizens position themselves against the star.
However, despite the criticism suffered by Neymar after the first game, some of his teammates have come out to support him publicly: one of them has been Raphinha.
The Barcelona player posted a story on his Instagram account in which he defended his teammate. With an initial photo of the two footballers and the word ‘Idol’, Raphinha went on to leave a forceful message about the figure of Neymar:
“Fans of Argentina treat Messi like a God.
Portugal fans treat Cristiano Ronaldo like a king.
The Brazilians are happy about Neymar’s injury. The biggest mistake of his career is being born Brazilian, this country does not deserve his talent and his football”
Neymar has been ruled out of the remaining Group G fixtures; should Brazil progress, he will then be able to play.
Group G fixtures
24 November: Al Janoub Stadium: Switzerland 1-0 Cameroon 05:00 am ET / 02:00 am PT
24 November: Lusail Stadium: Brazil 2-0 Serbia 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT
28 November: Al Janoub Stadium: Cameroon-Serbia 05:00 am ET / 02:00 am PT
28 November: Stadium 974: Brazil-Switzerland 11:00 am ET / 08:00 am PT
2 December: Stadium 974: Serbia-Switzerland 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT
2 December: Lusail Stadium: Cameroon-Brazil 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT