Thiago Silva and Neymar Jr. were vocal about their criticism towards Brazilians rooting for Argentina to win the Copa America final.
However, one Brazilian pundit is pushing back towards the Chelsea defender. Former goalkeeper, Wagner Fernando Velloso, called Silva an online bully for his comments and questioned his attitude and whether he is the best figure to be the captain of the Brazilian team. UOL Esporte relayed the comments made by the pundits.
“[Thiago Silva] is very tough on social media. When he had to position himself on the Copa America, he stayed quiet. He comes to play for penalties, sits on the floor with his back to the goal, and cries. What captain is this that the Brazilian team is? Who is this captain? I think there are much better people for this role. Then, he says that there are people who will ask for a photo, a ticket. I never needed it,” Velloso said.
“It’s an obnoxious team, which has no connection with the country. Most of the players left early to play in Europe. Tite doesn’t seem to like to call up those who play in Brazil. He waits for the player to leave to play for the national team. It’s a team that [Silva] has no identity with the fan. He doesn’t play here; he’s distant. There are several reasons.”
Another Brazilian pundit, Souza, agreed with what Velloso stated in his criticism of Silva. The former São Paulo midfielder believes that the veteran midfielder made a mistake by not taking a stand at other times, such as moving the Copa América to Brazil.
Silva likely won’t respond, but these comments aren’t out of the ordinary as Brazilians don’t feel connected with their national team. With the World Cup coming around next year, it will be interesting to see whether these criticisms of the squad continue when the qualifying fixtures resume.