2018 World Cup: Neymar was right to flop in Mexico against Brazil

Slowly but surely, game after game, Neymar becomes the 2018 World Cup. In the round of 16 against Mexico, he scored two big tackles, but he scored the first goal, created the second goal and looked dangerous. all along.

He also did some taxiing on the ground. Let's talk about taxiing on the ground.

Halfway through the second half, with Brazil on target, Neymar was packaged by Miguel Layún just above the sideline. This is usually a useless place for a player to get off, since the game can continue without them. However, Neymar was found with the ball between his legs, so Layún went to recover him.

Then Neymar lost it. He cried. He flinched. He threw himself on the side, then on the back, then back to the side. Then he went on his forehead for a bit. He clung to his ankle and pounded the floor. He cursed the gods, for having delivered him on this earth so that he could suffer. He cried, and the heavens cried to see him. And all around the planet, people were wondering: what happened there?

Then we saw the replay. Layún had sprained his ankle

To be fair to Neymar, he probably hurt at least a little bit. Layún is an adult man, and he wore spiked shoes. But there was much skepticism justified as to whether the reaction was proportional to the action, or whether Neymar had actively chosen to refuel the opera. Given that the Brazilian number 10 returned to the field a few moments later, and continued to set another goal, this skepticism seems to have been founded.

You are probably reading this shortly after the finale. whistle. But in this short period of time, we can be sure that Neymar has been called every possible variant of "plunging curse ]" that hundreds of languages ​​of mankind can handle. And that too is fair enough. He looked ridiculous.

But even though he was a clown, he was not an idiot. Indeed, this may be a part of the game where the VAR video response could lead to a slight uptick in the game. The video replay referees locked in the box will always take a second look at the flying tackles and swingarms. But the sneaky little tricks, stamps, and other snidery: this must be brought to the attention of those who watch TV.

And how better to attract attention than to make a show? The contortions of Neymar were, in essence, an interpretative dance version of these imaginary squares that the players drew. Look at me! Look at me! Oh my gods, look at me! Now … look at the tape?

Neymar is often derided as a self centered self. Yet here he was absolutely ready to humiliate himself in front of the world watching, just to get an advantage for his team. His reputation, his dignity, his good reputation – everything burned and gone, everything for Brazil. As Jesus has said, a greater love of man than this one, that a man goes to bed and shouts like a child for his friends.

In this case, he got what he deserved in a way, but not the one he was looking for. There were millions of people watching the game on television, but the four that he played, in their bunker in Moscow, were clearly as unfriendly as the others. Still, if there is an advantage to be found, he does not care what anyone on the Internet thinks of him. It's almost as if winning a football match was more important than not being insulted on Twitter.