Striker Breno Lopes showed he was fed up with criticism from Palmeiras fans. After scoring the winning goal against Goiás last Friday (15), the player showed his finger towards the Allianz Parque stands and, apparently, uttered several insults in celebration. Hours later, on his Instagram account, he reposted a video of his father celebrating the goal and shouting “complain, fans. Complain there.”
– There, son, that’s it. Blessed. You are blessed, my son. I love you. Complain, fans, complain. I love you my son. I love you. There you go, look – shouted the player’s father, Welington, with the caption “God is wonderful”. In Breno’s response, he wrote “I love you dad”.
At the time of the celebration, the Palmeiras players followed the player and tried to contain his effusive attitude. In interviews after the game, the Palmeiras squad and coach Abel Ferreira also sought to alleviate the controversy and reduce some of the damage. The fans, outraged by the stance, sang in the stadium: “Breno Lopes, pay attention, much respect for Verdão’s shirt”.
– The important thing is that Breno scored the winning goal, that’s what we needed. He’s a player who hasn’t been playing as much as he would like. But he is a player that I trust and like, who has his name marked in history. And, above all, he has the goal. I myself am often the first to lose my head. I was expelled, I don’t even know how many times, although that has changed a little – Abel defended.
In the same vein, the squad leaders, Raphael Veiga and Weverton, tried to put a stop to the controversial situation. “It was a moment of relief,” commented the goalkeeper. While Veiga sought a line similar to Abel’s.
– In football, there are moments when it is difficult to control your emotions. On the field, I already lost my temper, I fought with the referee. There are moments that we don’t control – highlighted the midfielder.
Institutionally, Palmeiras also stands alongside the player, who trained normally this Saturday (16) and will not be punished for indiscipline by the club. To defend Breno, president Leila Pereira published a photo of the historic goal scored by the athlete that won the 2020 Libertadores title. “This image will forever be in our memory and in our hearts”, wrote the manager
Breno Lopes is the ‘additions man’ at Palmeiras
Hired in November 2020 – precisely at the same time as Abel Ferreira’s arrival -, Breno scored one of the most important goals in Alviverde’s history again in stoppage time. The final minutes of games are the player’s highlight for Palmeiras, with eight of the 20 goals scored after 45 minutes.
Despite this, the attacker never managed to establish himself among the starters. So much so that, in almost three years, he only played 34 games among the starting 11 (adding up the performances off the bench, there are 143 games). His contract with the São Paulo club runs until the end of 2024.
Breno Lopes is considered important at this moment due to Dudu’s serious injury, out of the rest of the season. Alviverde still does not have a definitive replacement for the left winger position, and is worried about the Copa Libertadores semi-final against Boca Juniors, played at the end of the month and beginning of October.
Palmeiras’ next games
- Grêmio x Palmeiras, Brasileirão Série A, Arena do Grêmio, Porto Alegre-RS – September 21st (Thursday), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time);
- Boca Juniors x Palmeiras, Libertadores, Bombonera, Buenos Aires-ARG – September 27th (Wednesday), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time);
- Red Bull Bragantino x Palmeiras, Brasileirão Série A, Nabi Abi Chedid, Bragança Paulota-SP – October 1st (Sunday), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time).
