Neymar Jr. was a teenager playing for Santos FC in Brazil, but despite the Paris Saint-Germain star being 30 years old, he’s an idol for players in their late teens and early 20s, with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo being one of them.
Rodrygo, who also came up through Santos FC in São Paulo, stated that he considers Neymar his idol and that the veteran forward recently gave him sound advice after Brazil lost 1-0 to Cameroon in the final group-stage fixture.
“Neymar gave me so much confidence before the match: he wanted to show me his support,” Rodrygo told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t GOAL Italy). “He’s a teacher and he’s my idol; it’s an honor for me to play with him.
“At the end of the match, he complimented me and told me to continue like this, despite the defeat. He told me not to think about what happened with Cameroon, to leave it behind me and look forward.”
Brazil faces off against South Korea in the Round of 16 and who is coming off a win over Portugal, so the Asian country heads into the matchup with confidence. Nonetheless, the CONMEBOL side is the favorite, but as this World Cup has shown, that can mean little to nothing.
Additionally, the Seleção will hope to have Neymar back ready and healthy for their Monday matchup since the team failed to convince without the PSG star out of the lineup due to an injured ankle.
