Criticism and controversy: Shiogai's statements stir Brazil and Japan before the 2026 World Cup

The dispute between Brazil and Japan in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup is already starting to heat up before the opening whistle. Japanese striker Kento Shiogai, who plays for Wolfsburg, made statements that minimized the strength of the Brazilian team and Neymar, which generated an avalanche of criticism from Brazilian fans.

In an interview with Japanese media outlets, Shiogai stated: "In the past, Brazil was a very strong team. Today, when we talk about the best teams, we remember France and Argentina. We talk much less about Brazil lately." He also commented on Neymar: "He's not the Neymar he used to be. I believe that now we can play on equal terms."

Shiogai's words quickly resonated in Brazil, with the national media highlighting his statements and causing a flood of comments on his Instagram profile. Within hours, her latest post received more than 25,000 comments, compared to the usual few hundred. According to O Globo, many comments contained racist and xenophobic insults aimed at the Asian community.


The subject was also discussed at the Brazilian team's press conference, where coach Carlo Ancelotti decided not to fuel the controversy: "We are not going to talk about these statements. We are just focused on the match, on the opponent's qualities and on preparing ourselves in the best way. We are not going to focus on the mental aspects."

The team's captain, Marquinhos, adopted a more incisive stance, transforming the opponent's words into encouragement: "If they keep talking, it gives us more motivation. We work with humility to achieve our goal. We let our opponents make these types of statements."

With Brazil finishing the group stage in the lead, but without fully convincing, and Japan going through a great moment, after losing just once in the last twelve games, the confrontation promises to be quite balanced. It is worth remembering that Japan already beat the Brazilian team in a recent game, with a tight 3-2.

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