While there is a lot of support for teams like Brazil and Argentina in Kerala during the World Cup, the celebrations have caught the world’s attention during the tournament in Qatar. Following the conclusion of Brazil’s FIFA World Cup campaign in the Indian state of Kerala, Neymar expressed gratitude to the team’s supporters.
During the World Cup, fans in Kerala often take to the streets to show their support for their favorite teams by decorating the streets with elaborate decorations. This time, however, the celebrations were noticed all over the world. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan thanked FIFA.com for recognizing “Kerala’s love and unmatched passion for football” in response to giant cutouts of Neymar, Lionel Messi of Argentina, and Ronaldo of Portugal hanging over the Pullavoor river in the state.
Kerala and Keralites have always had a passion for football, and with #Qatar2022 coming up, this passion is on full display. In the tweet’s caption, Vijayan wrote, “Thank you @FIFAcom for acknowledging our unmatched passion for the sport.” Now, Neymar himself has acknowledged the cutouts and celebrations, stating on his website’s Instagram handle that Brazilian artists around the world have affection for him.
The carinho comes from every art form in the world! The post’s caption read, “Thank you so much, Kerala, India. Affection comes from all the arts in the world.” Neymar retweeted the “Neymar Fans Welfare Association,” which had posted a picture of a young boy perched on the shoulder of a mature man while both were wearing Neymar’s Brazil jersey and examining the cutout. Due to their lack of international stars and the type of football they were playing, Brazil quickly became the favorite to win the tournament.
After Neymar’s beautifully worked first goal of the tournament gave them a late 1-0 lead against Croatia, it appeared as though they were on their way to the semifinals. However, Croatia scored an equalizer, and their goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made a number of great saves to send the match into extra time, forcing it into penalties. Brazil’s shocking elimination from the tournament came as a result of Brazil’s 4-2 loss in the shootout without Neymar taking a shot.