Sports

I didn’t want to see a ball- Neymar recounts World Cup agony

Published

6 years ago

July 22, 2018

World’s most expensive footballer, Neymar Jr. has for the first time narrated his agony over the disappointment suffered by Brazil in the Russia FIFA World Cup, which ended on 15 July.
The PSG player told AFP in an interview that after Brazil’s quarter-final beating by Belgium, he “didn’t want to see a ball or to see any more football. I wanted to disconnect a bit from everything”.

“I had moments of mourning, of sadness, of being just by myself. But sadness passes.

“I have my son, my family, my friends and they don’t want to see me moping around. I have got more reasons to be happy”, he said.

Brazil’s forward Neymar reacts to their defeat at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup quarter-final football match between Brazil and Belgium at the Kazan Arena in Kazan on July 6, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – NO MOBILE PUSH ALERTS/DOWNLOADS

Neymar came out of the weeks of agony on Saturday, taking part in the RedBull Neymar Junior 5-a-side tournament in Praia Grande near Santos in Brazil. He featured in the game, called World Cup Finals.

The women’s competition saw an extremely popular outcome, with the Brazilian team needing a golden goal to defeat Italy 1-0 in a tight final match to the delight of the home crowd in Praia Grande.

However, the final of the mixed tournament couldn’t have been in sharper contrast. Mexico didn’t need the full 10 minutes to beat Argentina, running out 5-2 winners with 1m 10s still on the clock.

The winning teams each then went on to play against Neymar Jr and friends. Mexico suffered a taste of their own medicine, losing 5-2 inside the regulation 10 minutes.

However, Brazil pulled off something of a shock, keeping it tight to triumph 2-1 over a team that not only included Neymar himself, but also stars such as Érika from PSG and Andressa Alves of FC Barcelona.

However, Neymar could not forget the real World Cup in a hurry. He was disappointed that the referees could not protect him against fouls by opponents.

“I didn’t go to the World Cup to suffer fouls. That is not why I went . I went to beat opponents and obviously they weren’t going to just leave me in peace. They weren’t going to let me pass without touching me, without committing fouls, because they knew if they didn’t commit those fouls, I would go straight to the goal”, he said.