Neymar reveals supportive conversation he had with Rodrygo after World Cup elimination
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Neymar has revealed a conversation between himself and Rodrygo on his Instagram story following their World Cup quarter-final exit to Croatia.
Rodrygo was one of two players to miss during the penalty shootout, with Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Marquinhos also missing from 12 yards.
Brazil's talisman Neymar was set to be the fifth penalty taker and, as a result, did not get a chance to take a penalty when it really mattered.
The loss to Croatia came as a shock given many had Brazil nailed down as favourites to win the competition, but the European side's never say die attitude and team spirit was enough to get them over the line in the end.
Neymar, who has explained how gutted he is at the result, had produced a moment of magic to play through the Croatian defence before rounding the keeper to open the scoring, but a late deflected goal from Bruno Petkovic levelled the score line three minutes from time.
The 21-year-old Real forward was crestfallen at the end of the shootout, as he was consoled by teammates and his club teammate Luka Modric, in a tough moment for the Champions League winner.
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Now we've seen the conversation between Neymar and Rodrygo, which reveals the 30-year-old was on hand to console his younger teammate.
Neymar wrote: "I'm here to say that you're a star...it's an honour to be part of your career, to hear you say that I'm your idol and to see you become one of the stars in the history of Brazil!
"I've made a lot of mistakes in my career and I learned from them all. But I never gave up, I always looked for better and perfected myself in everything.
He continued onto to give his young teammate kind and inspiring words.
"Stay firm, these criticisms and pressures will make you strong and you will remember what I told you..."you're still going to bring a cup to Brazil".
"I wish you all the success in the world, disconnect these days, rest and come back with everything! I'm here for whatever you need. We're together."
📲 Neymar’s Whatsapp messages to Rodrygo after Brazil’s loss. pic.twitter.com/uGlFvAXoZh
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) December 11, 2022
Given that Neymar is his idol, there's no doubt those words will go a long way, and the young forward was extremely happy to receive such a supportive message.
"Thank you my idol, for everything from the heart! Sorry for postponing your dream too.
"We're always together and thank you the love."
There's also messages with Thiago Silva and Marquinhos, but those haven't been translated but we're sure it includes similar messages.
Rodrygo will return to Real in search of retaining the La Liga and Champions League titles following a highly successful season last year.
Whereas Neymar will have his sights on finally winning the Champions League with PSG, alongside two potential World Cup winners in Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Instagram
Topics: Football, Football World Cup, Brazil, Neymar, Rodrygo
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