Normally, it would be horrible news to soccer fans anywhere that their team’s star player was injured.
Yet even as they endured an anguished wait for a Neymar-less Brazil to score in their 1-0 win over Switzerland on Monday, some Brazilians found it hard to miss the injured superstar, who has promised to dedicate his first FIFA World Cup goal to far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Watching the match in a packed bar in central Rio de Janeiro, where fans decked out in yellow and green waited nervously for what turned out to be the lone goal — scored in the 83rd minute, by Casemiro — 23-year-old law student Henrique Melo explained his dilemma.
Photo: EPA-EFE
As a soccer fan, he desperately wanted Neymar back from the ankle injury that sidelined him late in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday, in which the Paris Saint-Germain star sparkled despite failing to find the goal.
“The team are missing him,” Melo said, proudly sporting the soccer-mad nation’s jersey.
At the same time, the fact that the world’s most expensive soccer player has yet to score in the tournament “is the best result Brazil has had in the World Cup,” he said.
“We would have had all these Bolsonaro supporters celebrating,” said Melo, a proud supporter of leftist Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“As a player, Neymar’s incredible — he’s an artist. As a person, he leaves a lot to be desired. Not just his political opinions, but who he is. Instead of just enjoying his bling lifestyle, he could be investing in education, social projects, setting an example for kids... He could be the man,” Melo said.
On Rio’s iconic Copacabana beach, where a huge crowd watched the match on a giant screen, 29-year-old vendor Tainara Santana was feeling the same quandary.
“I like football, so I want [Neymar] to play because he’s good, but I can’t say I’m sad he hasn’t scored. It’s great to see Neymar fail,” she said, laughing.
With his lean good looks and huge social media following, Neymar is one of the biggest names in sports, but his soccer magic has been tarnished at times.
On the pitch, critics accuse the 30-year-old star of diving and of failing to live up to the hype when it counts. Off the pitch, he has faced accusations of excessive partying, tax fraud and spoiled behavior.
“He’s a jerk,” Santana said. “Not just for his politics, but because of his machismo, his ego, his total lack of humility.”
Brazil’s campaign for a record-extending sixth World Cup comes on the heels of its divisive elections last month.
Neymar endorsed Bolsonaro against Lula — and became the target of an army of “Neymar haters” online.
At the weekend, “F*** Neymar” became one of the top trending topics in Brazil on Twitter.
Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo rushed to Neymar’s defense on Sunday.
“You’re f***ing Neymar! Giant!” the two-time World Cup winner wrote on Instagram.
“That’s why you have to deal with so much envy and evil, to the point of people celebrating your injury. How low have we sunk?” he said, urging Neymar to “use that hate as fuel.”
Teammates Casemiro and Raphinha also stuck up for Neymar, saying he did not deserve the shade he was getting on social media.
In Copacabana, Lula supporter Charleo Luis just wanted to keep politics and soccer separate.
Neymar haters “are idiots who know nothing about football,” the 24-year-old street vendor said.
“Who cares if he supports Bolsonaro? He’s a great player. I’m a huge fan, I love him. I’m rooting for him to recover.”
The World Cup “is a time for us to cheer like one big family,” he added.
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