Neymar appeared discontent with Brazil boss Dorival Junior substituting Vinicius Jr for Real Madrid-bound Endrick in their opening group encounter against Costa Rica in the 2024 Copa America.
Vinicius Jr was withdrawn for Endrick in the 71st minute, as he looked lost for most parts of the game.
Neymar Confused Over Brazil Manager Dorival Junior’s Decision to Substitute Vinicius Jr
Neymar who has been in close quarters with the Brazilian squad, was seemingly displeased by the alteration, as he put up a gesture of one being in disagreement with the change.
Brazil played out a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica, as Gustavo Alfaro’s side thwarted their efforts to start the tournament on a high.
They bossed the game for the majority of it, with Marquinhos scoring in the 30th minute to put them momentarily in front.
However, following a VAR review, the goal was chalked off, as Marquinhos was deemed to have scored from an offside position.
Ronaldinho’s Damning Verdict On Brazilian Football
Recall football icon Ronaldinho Gaucho had ranted about the underwhelming state of Brazilian football on June 15, 2024, stating that they lack “everything”.
He said: “I’m not going to watch any of the games, everything is missing, determination, joy, not playing well. I’m not even going to watch one game at the Copa America!
“That’s it guys, that’s it for me. This is a sad moment for those who love Brazilian football. It’s difficult to find the energy to watch the games.
He added: “This is perhaps one of the worst teams in recent years, it has no respectable leaders, just average players for the most part.”
Meanwhile, he subsequently shared that his comments were him letting out the feelings of the fans as he would never abandon Brazilian football.
The 44-year-old said: “I would never abandon Brazilian football, ever. And I would never say those things you saw… In fact, these words came from real Brazilian fans, they are real comments I saw on the internet…”
Has Brazilian Football Experienced A Significant Decline?
Anyway, irrespective of whether his comments were borne out of him stating his actual thoughts or those of the fans, it appears one thing can be said to be obvious and that is a noticeable drop in their football.
There aren’t as many talents that will keep one spellbound and that is visible in the successes they have achieved in recent times.
In little over a decade, they have basically only won 1 Copa America and 1 FIFA Confederations Cup, a competition that is no longer in existence.
Brazil last won the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and have even found it hard to compete till the latter stages of the competition.
Moreover, Neymar couldn’t be amongst Brazil’s squad for the tournament, due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which he picked up during Selecao’s 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The injury made him miss out on the remainder of matches for the 2023/24 football season, as he couldn’t feature for Al Hilal and it also ruled him out of the 2024 Copa America.
Neymar With Brazil
Certainly, there will be those who feel Neymar would have brought something extra to the Brazilian set-up, given his immense quality.
The 32-year-old assisted the country to win the 2016 Olympics and was a member of the Selecao side that won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Neymar paused at a traffic light to purchase the iconic yellow jersey of Brazil from street vendors and their reaction when they found out it was the former Barcelona man was utterly heartwarming.
The street vendors posed for selfies with the 32-year-old and were happy to see him in their midst.
The Al Hilal man is the all-time top scorer of Brazil, with 79 goals in 128 appearances and this has earned him much respect and love from the fans.
Dorival Junior’s side face Paraguay and Colombia on Saturday, June 29 and July 3, 2024, in their remaining group games and they will be hoping for a victorious outing in both matches.
The United States Of America Are My Surprise Team Of The 2024 Copa America – Neymar
Additionally, Neymar named the United States Of America as the “surprise team” of the 2024 Copa America, expressing that they will give other countries “trouble”.
He lauded AC Milan forward, Christian Pulisic, as a great player, and had great words to say about the national team of the United States.
The Brazilian said: “I know Pulisic, I watched the Brazil vs United States game and the U.S. team surprised me a lot because they ran a lot, they played great defense against Brazil.
“[Pulisic] is a great player, he spent a long time at Chelsea. The U.S. will surprise during the Copa America.
“From what I saw in the game against Brazil, they have everything to give teams trouble.”
