Brazil changes dancing for crying

Predicting is not Neymar's forte.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
10 December 2022 Saturday 11:35
33 Reads
Brazil changes dancing for crying

Predicting is not Neymar's forte. During the electoral campaign for the Brazilian presidency, he predicted that Jair Bolsonaro would be re-elected and the verdeamarela would return from Qatar with the World Cup under Qatar's arm. Neither one thing nor the other was fulfilled. If Bolsonaro's hit was expected due to the return of Lula da Silva, that of the Brazilian team in the World Cup was more unexpected.

The Tite players practiced colorful football. They conveyed joy and unity despite the polarization in the country and the ideological differences within the locker room -Neymar is Bolsonaro's standard bearer, but there are critical voices such as his teammate Richarlison, who asked not to politicize the canarinha's shirt-.

They had assigned dances for all the goals during the tournament, a fact that aroused some antipathy, especially after 'grandfather' Tite's movement of the hips, incited by his pupils. The attackers mostly agreed to dye themselves platinum blonde after thrashing South Korea. But the party ended. Croatia stopped the music and turned on the lights. She had to go home and accept another failure.

The six-time championship must wait, at least four more years. The country that has won the World Cup the most times has not yet found the formula for success in 'its' tournament since Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and company gave the last victory in Korea and Japan in 2002. Saudade. It's been so long that rising stars on the current football scene (the Pedri, Gavi, Bellingham, Musiala...) haven't even seen Brazil win.

"Brazil cries", "Jug of cold water" or "End of the dream" are some of the headlines chosen by the Brazilian press to talk about the new fiasco. The wall of the quarterfinals embodied in Livakovic on penalties was once again insurmountable. Only once has Brazil skipped it in the last twenty years and it would almost have been better not to do so.The Mineirazo in the semifinals against Germany (1-7) is a traumatic memory on a par with the Maracanazo.

Within the Brazilian federation (CBF) they are looking for culprits without knowing who is responsible. Tite is the easiest to point out. The coach was chosen in 2016 and his achievements can be summarized in a Copa América (2019). At the age of 61, he is now leaving office, although he had already announced his resignation last February. "It's a painful defeat, but I'm at peace with myself," he said after the elimination in the press room.

Who was not in that Copa América was Neymar, absent physical problems, as usual. The Brazilian star has not been able to shine constantly in the World Cups, he has only been able to leave flashes. His quality and leadership are unquestionable, but so far they have not been enough for anything else.

The former Barça player, behind two beautiful walls, put his team ahead in extra time against the Croats, but the lack of forcefulness behind them condemned them to a penalty shootout. Neymar, the fifth pitcher, was left without shooting. It's the worst loss of his career, he says in a Saturday post on Instagram.

"I am psychologically destroyed. It is the defeat that has hurt me the most. I was paralyzed for ten minutes and then I fell into tears without being able to stop. Sadly it will hurt for a long time," wrote the Brazilian with an image of him sitting on the ground, pensive .

"We fought until the end. I am proud of my teammates because they did not lack commitment or dedication. This group deserved it, we deserved it. Brazil deserved it, but this was not God's will!", he added before thanking the fan support.

The unknown now is to know what will happen with Neymar. Last year he had dropped that in Qatar he would play his last World Cup. After the defeat he did not want to make a hot decision. "I don't close the doors (to the national team), but I don't guarantee anything either," said the PSG footballer. At 30 years old, he wants to think about his future with his family and friends. From the hospital, Pelé -whom Neymar equaled as the top Brazilian scorer- asks him to continue. Time will tell.