Neymar gave one street vendor the shock of his life as he stopped off at a traffic light to purchase a shirt before Brazil’s opening Copa America contest – leaving them visibly starstruck.
Brazil kicked off their campaign against Costa Rica and were held to a goalless stalemate, with Vinicius Jr and Co failing to make the breakthrough in a lacklustre display.
The Selecao are determined to go one better this year after a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina ended their defence with a painful defeat at the Maracana in 2021.
However, they must do so without their talisman Neymar, who can play no part in the tournament due to a serious knee injury.
The legendary ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during the nation’s 2-0 loss to Uruguay back in October.
Neymar made sure to offer his support to his fellow countrymen on Monday night, though, and went through all the emotions as he watched on from the stands at California’s SoFi Stadium.
His frustration was plain to see as Dorival Junior’s men were forced to settle for a draw, with Brazil’s array of attacking talent unable to clinch a crucial winner.
After the clash, a clip of Neymar’s pre-match antics went viral and it’s easy to see why.
In the video, Neymar is heard yelling, “We want the Brazilian shirt, please!”, in the direction of a stall on the side of the road and the vendor is, at first, completely oblivious to the identity of the superstar footballer inside the car while asking for his size.
That is until he runs up to the vehicle to pass the jersey to his celebrity customer, doing a double-take before slapping Neymar on the shoulder and beaming with sheer delight.
Before long a small group gathers outside Neymar’s window for selfies and autographs.
In a separate video taken during the match itself, Neymar appeared less than impressed by the decision to remove Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr with 20 minutes remaining on the clock and Brazil desperately searching for a goal.
The iconic attacker, now plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League with Al Hilal, was visibly taken aback and those around him appeared to share his disbelief at the bold substitution.
‘We tried with him on the wing and we didn’t succeed,’ Brazil head coach Dorival explained after the draw.
‘Then put him inside and we couldn’t find a way through either … he was very well marked.
‘We had to find a solution, I was trying to make a change.
‘We tried various alternatives, several situations were created, but in the end we were unsuccessful with our finishing.’
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