When Brazil opens play at the 2019 Copa América in eight days time, it’ll do so without the influential Neymar. During last night’s friendly against Qatar, the 27-year-old was on the receiving end of a robust but fair challenge from Assim Madibo, ultimately resulting in a ligament rupture in his right ankle.
When the 2019 Copa América kicks off on June 14 with a match between Brazil and Bolivia at the Morumbi in São Paulo, all eyes will be on the hosts, led by captain Neymar, before attentions turn to Salvador the following day for a match between Colombia and Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
If you ever think you’re having a bad day at the office — maybe your alarm didn’t go off or the coffee tastes like garbage or you’re one of the millions of people suffering from wage theft — be glad you are not Martín Palermo, the man who holds the Guinness World Record for most missed PKs in a single match.
Penalty kicks are, typically, seen as an automatic goal. A good penalty taker will seemingly never miss, like Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic.
Gonzalo Higuain has called it quits on his national career after ten years with la Albiceleste. The Chelsea star was one of Argentina’s best strikers in recent years, scoring 31 goals in 75 appearances, but his decision to retire from international duty comes after constant criticism from Argentina fans.
It’s less than three months before the Copa América kicks off in Brazil and the Gold Cup commences across the United States, so adidas is pulling out all the stops when it comes to some of the biggest teams in its stable. This week, adidas revealed the jerseys that Mexico, Argentina and Colombia will be wearing at the major international tournaments.
You’ve heard this before: A broken foot is threatening to prematurely end Neymar’s club season, and he could be facing a race for fitness ahead of a major international tournament.
Last season, Neymar sustained a crack to the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during a match against Marseille on Feb. 25. The injury was worse than first expected, required surgery and Neymar missed PSG’s Champions League Round of 16 return leg against Real Madrid before sitting out the rest of the season.
Jose Maria Marin, the former president of Brazil’s soccer federation, was sentenced to four years in prison by a federal court on Wednesday in New York, marking the first sentencing of a soccer official in relation to the United States’ FIFA corruption investigation.
Last weekend, Brazil secured their seventh Copa America Femenina title and direct qualification to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after winning all seven of their matches while scoring 31 goals and conceding only two. This wasn’t a surprise, but a real feel-good story surrounds the second-place finishers at the competition, hosts Chile.
It’s still early days at the 2018 Copa America Femenina (which also serves as CONMEBOL qualifying for the 2019 Women’s World Cup), but six-time champion Brazil has reinforced its status as the favorite with opening victories against Argentina (3-1) and Ecuador (8-0).