A generation of Brazilian players only good at 'talking'

Raphinha left no mark other than his noisy words before and during the match - Photo: REUTERS

Raphinha: A lesson to remember with Brazil

"We will definitely beat them, and if necessary, we will beat them off the pitch. I will score and humiliate them," Raphinha sent a loud declaration of war before the match.

In response, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni appeared calm, trying to cool down when asked about Raphinha's statements.

"Warriors on the pitch, but also good friends in real life. I remember the image of Messi and Neymar being friendly together after the Copa America final. That is something we must preserve," said Mr. Scaloni.

And with that mindset, Argentina won the match before the ball even rolled. A few hours before this match, the reigning world champions received good news when Bolivia drew with Uruguay. This helped Argentina become the first South American team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Argentina entered the "super classic" with a completely relaxed mindset. Messi was even left at home from the start due to a minor injury.

And in the end, the Argentines don't need to prove anything more to Brazil. In the current generation of football, Argentina completely dominates their arch-rivals.

In the last 4 encounters with Brazil, Argentina is unbeaten with 3 wins and 1 draw. They are even the reigning World Cup and Copa America champions for 2 consecutive times. In the most recent encounter, Argentina defeated Brazil right at the Maracana.

It is understandable that the Brazilian players are eager to win this match. But Raphinha has gone too far with his negative comments on television.

Paulo Silas, a former Brazilian player in the 1980s and 1990s, bluntly criticized Raphinha. "A child who doesn't know how to behave. He should learn from Messi, look at the way Messi asked his teammates not to sing in celebration after winning the Copa America (2021)."

Silas is from the same generation as Bebeto, Romario, Dunga..., a generation of Brazilian players who were also relatively inferior to Argentina in the late 1980s (of Maradona). But the media rarely saw them trying to attack their opponents off the field like that.

As a result, by around 1994, Brazil had overthrown Argentina to regain dominance of South American football, as well as the world.

On the pitch, the legs, the hips, and the twists of the "Samba dancers" made every opponent tremble. And off the pitch, the generation of Brazilian players from the 1990s to the 2000s was also beyond reproach.

Football of course has to be fiery, has noisy arguments, but that is the job of the stands, of the fans.

Repeated mistakes

Worse yet, Raphinha can talk the talk but... can't do the walk.

The Barca striker made a few dribbles in the match, but not enough to create any clear-cut chances. Brazil's only goal came from an Argentina mistake.

That performance, combined with some unsavoury pre-match actions, made Raphinha the focus of criticism after the match.

It's not the first time Brazilian superstars have been criticised for their attitude, along with their less-than-stellar performances.

At the 2022 World Cup, Brazil's stars were in the public eye for their goal-celebration dances when they defeated South Korea. And then they were eliminated in the next round.

Vinicius (left) always gets into unnecessary controversies - Photo: REUTERS

In the Copa America 2 years later, as well as throughout the World Cup qualifying matches, Vinicius was often criticized for his diving and petty quarrels with opponents, leaving him in the dark whenever his team needed him.

And now it's Raphinha's turn with his unforgettable "slip of the tongue" against Argentina.

The way Vinicius and Raphinha got bogged down reminded me of Neymar. They were always strong candidates for the Ballon d'Or at each moment.

In the past, it was Neymar every time he played in the World Cup. An impressive start, but then a regretful end. On the pitch alone, Neymar lost points because of his ineffective, flamboyant style of play. And off the pitch, he led a life that was clearly unprofessional.

A year ago, it was Vinicius, the brightest candidate for the Golden Ball, but then got heavily deducted "behavior points" in the race for individual titles. And his poor performance in the national team shirt also brought minus points.

And now Raphinha, who is also the most promising candidate for this year's Ballon d'Or. The Barca striker is not usually very loud, but has suddenly become more "talkative" since being praised.

When a problem repeats itself, it shows the biggest weakness of the current generation of Brazilian players. They don't keep their feet on the ground, they don't have enough composure, wisdom...

The current generation of Brazilian football still has no shortage of talent. Neymar has not retired, while Vinicius, Raphinha, and Rodrygo are among the world's top superstars.

But in the previous generation, "fat" Ronaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo talked little but did a lot. In this generation, the stars talk a lot but do little...

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mot-the-he-cau-thu-brazil-chi-gioi-vo-mom-20250326101331019.htm