Neymar has revealed all
Neymar has shared the emotional messages between him and his Brazilian teammates after their World Cup exit.
Brazil were beaten on penalties by Croatia in the quarter finals and by the time the 2026 World Cup comes around, it will have been over 20 years since they last lifted the trophy.
After the defeat the forward – who equalled Pelé’s record of 77 goals – shared messages between himself, Rodrygo, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos – both Rodrygo and Marquinhos missed crucial penalties in the shoot-out, while, having waited in the wings for the fifth penalty, Neymar’s chance never came.
He explained on his Instagram story, saying: “The decision to reveal the chats (without permission) was made to show how much we wanted (to win the World Cup) and how united we were.”
Speaking to Marquinhos, Neymar said: “How are you? I am here to tell you I am your fan. One penalty won’t change how I feel about you. I am always with you and you know that, I love you.”
Marquinhos then replied: “Hey brother, I’ve been improving little by little, just giving time to recover from all this! And you? How are you? Thank you for the message and for thinking about me man, you are so amazing, I wanted everything to go well.
“It sucks to think that penalty was an obstacle in our dream! But let’s move forward, we have to be strong, let time pass and see what football has awaiting for us.”
The Brazil captain then responded with a heartwarming message. “That’s my exact thinking, give time… more than anyone I know that EVERYTHING PASSES, good moments and bad …
“Stay strong, enjoy your family and remember that I’m not just a companion but a friend and I want you feeling well, I love you and we move on together.”
He also took time to speak to speak to veteran defender Thiago Silva. “We will have to move on man, unfortunately it’s like this! I wanted to give you this World Cup so much. You, Dani (Alves) and I all deserved it so much. But God has a purpose for us and knows everything.”
Silva, who is likely to have played his last World Cup said: “Brother, it is harder than I imagined, for real! I can’t take it. I can’t believe we lost! I can’t believe it. Every time I remember I feel like crying. But I will be okay.”
Youngster Rodrygo was the final player Neymar publicly responded to following his penalty miss. He said: “Little Bro! I am here to tell you that you are a baller… it’s an honour to be a part of your career, to hear you call me an idol of yours and to see you rising to be a historic player for Brazil!”
Rodrygo responded by calling Neymar his “idol” before apologising for “delaying” Neymar’s dream.
There is now uncertainty over whether Neymar will decide to continue his international career. After the defeat he said: “I’ll have to analyse and think a bit about everything that’s good for me, what’s good for the Selecao.”
