While watching the match in a crowded bar in central Rio de Janeiro, where supporters decked out in yellow and green nervously await what will turn out to be the game’s only goal (scored in the 83rd minute by Casemiro and synonymous with qualification for Brazil), Henrique Melo, a 23-year-old law student, explains his dilemma.
“As a player, Neymar is amazing. He’s an artist. As a person, he leaves a lot to be desired. Not just because of his political views, but because of who he is. Instead of leading a style bling-bling life, he could invest in education, social projects, set an example for children,” said the young man.
As a football fan, he desperately wanted Neymar to recover from the ankle injury that sidelined him in Thursday’s game against Serbia (which Brazil won 2-0), in which he shone without scoring a goal.
“The team misses him,” says Melo, proudly wearing the jersey of the football-loving nation. At the same time, the fact that the most expensive footballer in the world has yet to score in the tournament “is the best result that Brazil has had in the World Cup”, because “all Bolsonaro supporters would have celebrated it “, jokes this fervent supporter of the left-wing president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
– “Great to see him fail!” –
At Rio’s famous Copacabana Beach, where huge crowds watch the game on a giant screen, Tainara Santana, a 29-year-old saleswoman, feels the same dilemma. “I love football so I want (Neymar) to play because he’s good. But I can’t say I’m sad he didn’t score. It’s great to see Neymar fail” , she lets out with a laugh.
With his millions of social media followers, Neymar is one of the biggest celebrities in world sport. But its magic has sometimes been tarnished.
On the pitch, critics accuse the 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker of playing comedy and falling short when needed. Off the pitch, Neymar has been accused of partying shamelessly, evading taxes and acting like a spoiled brat.
“He’s a moron”, loose Tainara Santana. “Not just for his political views, but for his machismo, his ego, his complete lack of humility.”
Brazil’s quest for a record-breaking sixth World Cup comes weeks after a hyper-polarized presidential election in the country. Neymar sided with Bolsonaro over Lula, drawing a torrent of abuse from an army of online ‘haters’. On Twitter, the hashtag “
Another legend of Brazilian football, the double world champion Ronaldo, came to the defense of his colleague. “You are a fucking Neymar! Giant!” he wrote on Instagram. “That’s why you have to deal with so much jealousy and nastiness, to the point that people are celebrating your injury. How far have we fallen?” he added, urging Neymar to “use this hatred as fuel”.
In the Brazil squad, Casemiro and Raphinha have also backed Neymar, saying he doesn’t deserve all this online opprobrium.
Brazil have often suffered without Neymar, notably suffering Germany’s humiliating 7-1 elimination on home soil in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals when their star striker suffered a back injury.
In Copacabana, Lula supporter Charleo Luis would simply like politics and football to be separated.
Those who hate Neymar “are idiots who don’t know anything about football”, says the 24-year-old street vendor. “Who cares if he supports Bolsonaro? He’s a great player. I’m a big fan, I love him. I encourage him to recover.” The World Cup, he adds, “is an opportunity for us to cheer like one big family.”