Neymar revealed the comforting words he delivered to teammates Rodrygo and Marquinhos after Brazil was eliminated from the World Cup.
Following a 1-1 deadlock after extra time in their match against Croatia, Brazil lost 4-2 on penalties in Qatar. Marquinhos and Rodrygo both missed crucial penalty kicks.
And Neymar, who scored in extra time to tie Pele for the most goals scored by a Brazilian in history with 77, disclosed, without their consent, the conversations he had with Marquinhos, Rodrygo, and veteran Thiago Silva after their elimination.
Since Brazil was eliminated from the tournament, Neymar has been loud on social media.
In an impassioned letter he made over the weekend, he claimed that the loss to Croatia had psychologically ruined him. He had previously retaliated against Tite’s detractors by telling them to “don’t talk s***.”
Neymar clarified in a story on his Instagram:
“The decision to reveal the chats (without permission) was made to show how much we wanted (to win the World Cup) and how united we were.”
‘I am Brazilian with a lot of pride and with a lot of love!’
The PSG attacker texted Marquinhos, his teammate, after the player missed the crucial penalty kick that forced Tite’s squad out of the World Cup. Immediately following their elimination from the tournament, the manager of Brazil resigned from his position.
On his Instagram story, he shared the secret WhatsApp conversation he had with his Brazilian teammates after their World Cup exit which read: “How are you? I am here to tell you I am your fan. One penalty won’t change how I feel about you. I am always with you and you know that, I love you.”
In reply, Marquinhos said: “Hey brother, I’ve been improving little by little, just giving time to recover from all this! And you? How are you? Thank you for the message and for thinking about me man, you are so amazing, I wanted everything to go well.”
“It sucks to think that penalty was an obstacle in our dream! But let’s move forward, we have to be strong, let time pass and see what football has awaiting for us.”
Neymar then responded by saying: “That’s my exact thinking, give time… more than anyone I know that EVERYTHING PASSES, good moments and bad…”
“Stay strong, enjoy your family and remember that I’m not just a companion but a friend and I want you feeling well, I love you and we move on together.”
Marquinhos made obvious how much he valued his teammate’s kind wishes and how much he admired Neymar. He went on: “That’s true brother, only we know what we went through to get here, what we faced in all the days, and that’s why it hurts so much.”
“The pain is strong but God knows what he is doing; if he gave me this to face, it is because he knows I’m strong enough to overcome it. You are amazing man, seriously! I am your fan, thank you, stay well too, we will need each other in the upcoming battles, I love you so much.”
Thiago Silva, who is 38 years old and is likely to have played in his final World Cup after earning 113 caps for the Selecao over the past 14 years, was also contacted by Neymar.
To the Chelsea defender, he said: “We will have to move on man, unfortunately it’s like this! I wanted to give you this World Cup so much. You, Dani (Alves) and I all deserved it so much. But God has a purpose for us and knows everything.”
In response, Silva, who was competing in his fourth World Cup, said: “Brother, it is harder than I imagined, for real! I can’t handle it. I can’t believe we lost! I can’t believe it. Every time I remember I feel like crying. But I will be okay.”
The attacker sent a message to Rodrygo as well following the Brazilian’s missed penalty. The 21-year-old is one of the most gifted young players in the country, but his heartbreak on the penalty kick is going to break him.
Neymar remarked: “Little Bro! I am here to tell you that you are a baller… it’s an honour to be a part of your career, to hear you call me an idol of yours and to see you rising to be a historic player for Brazil!”
“Penalties are only missed by those who step up to take one, I’ve missed many penalties in my career and have learned from all of them.”
“But I never gave up, I always looked for better and fought to improve myself in everything. I like you a lot, not just for you as a player but the kind-hearted and good kid you are.”
“Stay strong, the critics will only make you stronger and you will remember what I have told you… “you will still bring a World Cup to Brazil.” I wish you all the success in the world; shut your mind off these days, relax, and come back with everything! I’m here if you ever need me. We’re together in this”
Rodrygo responded, “Thank you my idol, for everything from the heart,” demonstrating how much he appreciated his nation’s leading man reaching out.
“I’m sorry for anything I caused and for delaying your dream, I hope you can continue with us [the national team], so we can win it together, obviously only if it is best for you [to continue]!! We are always together in this and thank you for the love.”
Neymar reiterated his admiration for Rodrygo before changing the tone to one of humor.
He stated: “Don’t say sorry. Are you crazy? Only those who step up will miss, and you are a baller! But later I can teach you how to take them [penalties]. We’re together in this, take care man.”
Rodrygo received a note from Neymar, who described him as “great” and urged the Real Madrid player to bounce back from his penalty shootout defeat. The young forward expressed his regret for “delaying” Neymar’s dream of winning a World Cup after being touched by the compliment.
