‘O craque’ collects what he has dedicated himself to planting with his father with his staunch defense of the extreme right in Brazil
Alienated in his bubble and his battles against windmills, the ’10’ has deepened an already insurmountable fracture with Brazilian society
The criminal and cowardly knee of Juan Camilo Zuniga that almost left a paraplegic neymar (and it’s not hyperbole) in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup created a national uproar in the host country. There began to take shape a football tragedy the size of the ‘Maracanazo’, the 1-7 against Germany.
Two World Cups later, misfortune hits the ‘menino Ney’, with a sprain in his battered right ankle, which could undermine him for the rest of the tournament. This time, however, there is no consternation or fear in Brazil, although the ‘Hexa’ may be postponed for one more legislature. In reality, the majority reaction among his compatriots has been one of indifference or memeticizing the situation. In no case, has there been a wave that wished for her non-recovery as Raphinha mistakenly propagated on her Instagram account.
‘O craque’ collects what he has devoted himself to planting with his father. He delved into polarization when he repeatedly supported the extreme right in the last presidential elections. Even so, there is no sense of revenge now, after the historic triumph of Lula da Silva, which prevented the country from turning into a pseudo-dictatorship.
‘Ney’s’ promise to dedicate a goal to Bolsonaro in the first match in Qatar definitely separated him from half the country. There is no going back or possible reconciliation. Not even scoring the title goal à la Iniesta, there will be redemption.
Neymar is marked by the active defense of the totalitarian ideas of the extreme right and by his political silences. Like the one that has starred when a Bolsonaro supporter harassed and seriously insulted, in the opening match of Brazil at the Lusail Stadium, the singer Gilberto Gilnow 80 years old.
This episode, due to its absurdity, has infuriated public opinion. There has not been a hint of solidarity from Ney and his ideologue father with an integral and universal figure. Because, if there were the Nobel Prize for Music, Brazil would have more awards than sewn stars wears the ‘verdeamarela’ shirt and one of the winners would undoubtedly be the Bahian singer-songwriter.
The rest of the Brazilian Olympus would conform it Caetano Veloso, Boy Buarque, the recently disappeared Gal Costathe father of bossa nova joao gilberto, Milton Nascimento, Tom Jobim who is perhaps the greatest exponent of the MPB (Brazilian Popular Music) or voices like Maria Bethania, Elis Regina and Marisa Monte.
Alienated in his bubble and his battles against windmills, the ’10’ has deepened an already insurmountable fracture with Brazilian society and it has achieved the impossible: that a part of the ‘country of soccer’ passes the World Cup.