Nfter his comeback from an ankle injury, Brazil superstar Neymar has thanked the fans for their support. “I only have words of thanks for all the love you gave me,” said the 30-year-old after the 4-1 (4-0) in the World Cup round of 16 of the record world champions against South Korea.
“I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to play in the World Cup anymore,” said the Paris St. Germain striker. “When I read all the news, it was very good for me.” Thanks to the fans, Neymar said he will do everything “to achieve our goal. This is our mission, our dream.”
After 20 years, the “Selecao” finally wants to win its sixth world title. “Everything is going well,” said Neymar, “I’m sure we’ll win in the end.” On his return after a two-game break, he made it 2-0 with a penalty kick and initiated another goal. In the quarter-finals of the World Cup this Friday (4:00 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the soccer World Cup) the next opponents are Croatia, who defeated Japan 3-1 after penalties in the round of 16.
Brazil’s victory was also particularly emotional because both the footballers and their fans thought of Pele during the game. Some spectators used the official World Cup fan festival on Copacabana to send good wishes to the “king of football”.
Messages like “Força Pelé”, with which they wished the football legend strength, were on their signs. According to the Brazilian news portal “G1”, 25,000 fans came together on the world-famous beach to watch Brazil’s 4-1 (4-0) show against to look at South Korea.
Pelé has been in the hospital in Sao Paulo for several days. According to media reports, the chemotherapy is no longer working for him. A post on Pelé’s Instagram account said he was strong and full of hope. He wanted to follow the game from the hospital and cheer on the players.
Brazil fans in Doha unveiled a banner with Pelé’s likeness after ten minutes of play. The players posed after the game with a banner showing the 82-year-old’s likeness.
