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Brazil captain Marquinhos responded to comments made by Japan forward Kento Shiogai regarding Neymar and Brazil's strength ahead of the two sides' FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash on Monday, saying the Brazilian team prefers to let its football do the talking.
According to Goal.com, Shiogai had said that Neymar "wasn't the same anymore" and suggested that Brazil no longer command the same level of respect as it once did. In reply, in an interview with Caze TV as quoted by Goal.com, Marquinhos said that comments from opponents help motivate Brazil's team. He added that the squad has been working with humility during their time in the United States and prefers to let rivals talk while they focus on their preparation. "It's good that they keep talking to keep motivating our team. We've been in the United States for a month, working with a lot of humility. We leave that talk to the opponents, let them keep talking a lot to motivate us," the defender stated as quoted by Goal.com. Marquinhos also stressed that modern football has become increasingly competitive and balanced, requiring intelligence and composure from teams at every stage of the competition. While suggesting that Japan's remarks reflected a degree of arrogance, he maintained that Brazil remains one of the strongest teams in world football. "It's a fact that football today is very balanced. It's about having intelligence, wisdom, maybe it was a bit of arrogance on their part. Brazil continues to be a great team. It's about showing our strength, quality... with every ball, knowing that it can be decisive... we leave that (talking) to them and let it serve as motivation to win the game," said Marquinhos. Brazil entered the Round of 32 after finishing at the top of Group C, continuing their remarkable record of topping their World Cup group for the 12th consecutive tournament. The five-time world champions have finished first in their group at every FIFA World Cup since 1982, extending a streak that now spans more than four decades. (ANI)
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