Raphinha stands up for Neymar after his most recent injury forced him to miss the remainder of the group stage. In an Instagram post he claims that while Messi and Ronaldo are idolized by fans, Brazilians prefer it if their star player "fractures his leg."
After Neymar's injury forced him to miss the remainder of the World Cup group stages, Raphinha criticized Brazilian supporters.
During the Selecao's 2-0 victory over Serbia on Thursday, Neymar suffered an ankle injury.
Before eventually leaving the game with a limp in the 80th minute, the Paris Saint-Germain was attacked throughout.
Images of his swelling ankle were posted after the game, and the findings of the scans revealed ligament damage.
“The scans showed a lateral ligament injury to Neymar’s right ankle along with a small bone swelling,” said Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar.
While Neymar suggests claims that, “If God gave me the opportunity to choose a country to be born, it would be BRAZIL” his teammate believes the biggest mistake in his career was being born in the country.
In a remarkable Instagram post, Raphinha has taken aim at Brazilians for wanting Neymar to break his leg.
On Instagram, he wrote: “The Argentina fans treat Messi like a god. The Portugal fans treat CR7 like a king. Brazil Fans encourage Ney to break his leg. The biggest mistake in Ney’s career is being born in Brazil, this country does not deserve his talent.”
Raphinha feels the superstar isn't given the respect he deserves in his own nation.
If he can get back into shape and lead Brazil to World Cup victory in Qatar, we're confident that people's perceptions of him will alter.