Fluminense’s experienced midfielder, Felipe Melo, did not let the criticisms made by the English newspaper The Telegraph go unnoticed. The daily, known for its sports coverage, compared the Fluminense squad to a team of retired players.
In response, Felipe Melo classified the newspaper’s approach as “idiotic”, highlighting the intelligence behind the media strategy.
The speech by “Pitbull”, as the player is known, took place at a press conference before the Club World Cup final, where Fluminense will face Manchester City. The text in The Telegraph, which generated Felipe Melo’s reaction, tried to draw a parallel between the tricolor squad, mostly experienced, and retired athletes. The player countered the criticism, stating that the newspaper’s intelligence was used to provoke the public.
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“It’s a way of attracting the public. Social networks often come to give a voice to idiots. In the same way that there are young people performing with big names, there are also athletes my age who can perform better than boys. I play because I am disciplined, professional and I love football. There are people who will use their intelligence to talk about constructive things and other, idiotic things, as was the case with the newspaper”, he declared.
Melo is one of the veterans of the squad and has stood out for his leadership and technical quality. In the interview, he also emphasized that age is not a limiting factor for performance in football.
City player criticizes newspaper’s position
“Age is just a number to me. What matters is performance. From what I saw of Marcelo, one of the best full-backs in the history of football, he continues to be at a good level. And comments like that are a little disrespectful”, highlighted Englishman Walker, from Manchester City, in defense of experienced players.
Melo says he doesn’t know the newspaper
Regarding the repercussion of the article, Felipe Melo admitted that he had never heard of The Telegraph. “Maybe it’s because I haven’t played in England or because maybe it’s not the biggest newspaper in England,” explained the Brazilian player. The episode highlights the sensitivity and importance that players attribute to media treatment, especially in decisive moments such as a Club World Cup final.
The exchange of words between Felipe Melo and the English newspaper adds an additional flavor to the atmosphere of the final, where Fluminense will seek a historic feat against Manchester City. It now remains to wait for the outcome of the confrontation on the field, which promises to be as exciting as the declarations that precede it.
