On July 10, 2021, Argentina defeated Brazil in a hard-fought Copa América final at the emblematic Maracanã. The result marked the end of a curse for Lionel Messi, the star who struggled for so long to succeed on the international stage.
Neymar understood this perfectly. Despite the pain of defeat, he was a true gentleman, embracing and congratulating his friend Leo, aware of how important the title was for his former Barcelona teammate. However, neither Messi’s victory nor Neymar’s gesture overshadowed the magnificent performance of the former Santos player that night.
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As the years pass, both Argentinians and Brazilians remember the impressive level of the Selecao’s number 10 that game. In fact, Rodrigo de Paul recently told Telemundo that he surrendered to Neymar’s talent during the final:
“Neymar in the Copa América final was the toughest opponent I faced. He’s an animal, I told him a couple of things. In the second half, during a play, I said to him: ‘Honestly, man, you’re a phenomenon. It’s not just how you play, no one can throw you off your game.’ Then we hugged. Ney in that final was spectacular.”
Neymar vs De Paul pic.twitter.com/Ru86qNo3zW
— Ginga Bonito 🇧🇷 (@GingaBonitoHub) June 13, 2024
At 32, the Al Hilal star will be watching this Copa América from the sidelines as he recovers from a serious knee injury.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Watch the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
