Brazil forward, Rodrygo, has revealed what teammate Neymar told him following the Seleção’s World Cup 1-0 defeat to Cameroon a few days ago.
Rodrygo started his first game in the competition against Cameroon in their final group-stage match.
With Brazil securing qualification after winning their first two games, manager Tite preferred to start a second-string side.
But Brazil ended up losing the match following a stoppage-time goal from Vincent Aboubakar.
However, Tite’s side still topped their World Cup group after beating Switzerland and Serbia in their previous two matches.
They will face South Korea in the quarter-final on Monday evening.
And Rodrygo, who was subbed off after 54 minutes, said Neymar complimented him and told him to continue playing the way he did against Cameroon.
“Neymar gave me so much confidence before the match: he wanted to show me his support. He is a teacher and he is my idol; it’s an honour for me to play with him,” the Real Madrid star said via La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“At the end of the match, he complimented me and told me to continue like this, despite the defeat. He told me not to think about what happened with Cameroon, to leave it behind me and look forward.”