A video of Matheus Cunha's reaction to being left out of Brazil's 26-man squad for this winter's Qatar World Cup has emerged online, and it's got fans talking.
The highly-rated 23-year-old forward, who joined Atletico Madrid last summer from Hertha Berlin for a reported £22 million, has struggled to hit the ground running this season.
He's failed to find the net in 23 appearances for club and country – a run of form that must have played a part in Tite's final decision.
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Gabriel Martinelli, meanwhile, was one of the forwards selected to feature at this year's World Cup alongside Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison and Vinicius Jr.
After the final squad was announced on Monday, a heartbroken Cunha posted a video of his reaction to Instagram.
He commented on the clip, saying: “To everyone who keeps sending me messages, thank you. It was hard, it was painful, but that's part of it. Our selection is spectacular and the competition is very great.
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"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and we will be cheering you on."
You can see that footage below.
Fans on social media were quick to bring up Cunha's decision to join Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid last summer.
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One fan said: "Atletico and Simeone’s style of football definitely does not suit him, as it doesn’t suit João Felix’s either. This is why it's important to pick the right club, especially during a crucial year such as a World Cup year.
A second wrote: "Matheus Cunha reaction after failing to make it to the Brazil's World Cup squad... I think he should have stayed in the Bundesliga instead of joining Atletico Madrid.
A third said: "He made the wrong call. Simeone ball doesn’t allow for players like him to thrive. Still young and got a bright future ahead of him if he can get out of Atleti."
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Earlier this year, former Italy international Antonio Cassano ripped into Diego Simeone and his Atletico Madrid team's style of play before claiming the draw against Manchester City in April was played with 'disgraceful' football.
"Atletico Madrid's playstyle is disgraceful," the former Roma striker told his Twitch stream. "In football you have to play, create goalscoring opportunities. You can't only think about defending."
Marco van Basten also claimed fans would 'rather watch Netflix' than Simeone's team play football.
Thoughts on Cunha being left out of Brazil's 26-man World Cup squad?
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Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Brazil, Football World Cup, Atletico Madrid, La Liga
Jack Kenmare