Brazilian star is receiving support from all corners
Fans hold a sign that reads in Portuguese '"Strength Neymar" before the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Argentina and Belgium (Photo: AP)
Rio de Janeiro: Neymar’s exit from the World Cup continued to overshadow his team’s progress to the semi-finals here on Saturday. Newspapers duly relegated Brazil’s win over Colombia behind the crushing blow of the star’s injury and its fallout.As the darling of the nation starts his recovery at the site of Brazil’s preparatory camp, support continued to pour in for him from all quarters. President Dilma Rousseff led the tributes by saying Neymar was a warrior, in a letter addressed to the Brazilian team.
TV crews followed the injured star everywhere and his every move was beamed to an anxious nation. Footage from the Fortaleza hospital where Neymar was first treated showed the player covering his face while being wheeled in a stretcher. He travelled with the team to Rio de Janeiro before flying in a helicopter to Teresopolis, Brazil’s training base, on the outskirts of the city.
Neymar is like Sachin Tendulkar here. From pundits to children, he is the favourite of everyone. His winning smile and humility, not to speak of extraordinary talent, have won him a legion of fans across the length and breadth of this vast country.
Guilherme, a journalist from Santos where Neymar made his name in club football, said success and adulation haven’t gone to his head. “Neymar hasn’t forgotten his roots. He doesn’t behave like a prima donna when he visits Santos. It would be safe for me to say that meeting Neymar is the ambition of everyone in the city. He has a stable family and it’s helpful for him to keep his feet on the ground,” he added.
In a moving video message released by the Brazilian football federation, Neymar fought back tears to talk about his unfulfilled dream of playing a World Cup final on home soil. “My dream has been interrupted but it continues as my team-mates would do everything to make me a world champion,” he said.
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