Brazil wants Lionel Messi on its team! And it is not just anyone making this request—it is Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva himself.
Argentine fans need not worry, however; the Brazilian President made the remark in jest.
Lula da Silva was asked about Brazil’s World Cup performance. The five-time world champions drew 1–1 with Morocco in their opening match of the tournament. Brazil’s performance in that first game failed to impress most supporters.
In contrast, their arch-rivals Argentina got off to a brilliant start, defeating Algeria 3–0 with a World Cup hat-trick from Messi. When journalists asked about this match, Lula laughed and said, “I was wondering if Messi could be brought into the Brazil squad.”
However, the Brazilian President is not overly concerned after watching the team’s first match. In his view, Morocco was Brazil’s toughest opponent in the group. His comments might even boost the team’s morale: “People say that whenever everyone doubts Brazil, they go on to win the World Cup… let’s see what happens.”
Brazil will face Haiti in their second match on June 20. There are rumors that Neymar has been ruled out of the Haiti match and might even miss the final group-stage game.
Amidst this, there is good news for Brazilian fans: having recovered from his injury, Neymar trained with the squad for the first time on Wednesday. While performing light drills on the pitch, he spotted the journalists, smiled, and shouted, “Did you miss me?”
