During March’s FIFA break, the Argentina vs. Brazil match for the CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifiers became one of the most anticipated matchups, and it certainly lived up to the hype. After a historic 4-1 victory, Argentina star midfielder Rodrigo De Paul delivered a humble message to Brazil’s Raphinha.
Before kickoff, the game gained significant controversy when several Brazilian players made bold statements predicting a victory over Argentina. One of the most notable comments came from Raphinha, who, in an interview with Romário TV, said: “We’re going to give Argentina a beating, no doubt.”
The remark did not sit well with Argentina, especially after the incident in November 2023, when Brazilian police repressed Argentina fans. Following the dominant 4-1 victory, De Paul was asked about Raphinha’s statement and responded with a grounded message to the Brazilian star.
“On the field, we did what we had to do. We’ve never disrespected anyone, but in all these years, we’ve been disrespected quite a bit. No one helped us; we achieved everything on our own, and we continue to prove it. It’s been 5 or 6 years that we’ve been the best team, so respect us,” the midfielder said in a post-match interview.
De Paul then made it clear that Argentina would continue to focus on performing well, despite having already secured their World Cup qualification: “Still, there are qualification matches left, but we are already qualified. However, as I said before, friendlies, qualifiers, finals, we play everything the same way. The World Cup is still far off, so we need to focus on the club and the upcoming matches in June.”
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De Paul has been one of Argentina’s standout performers against Brazil, despite not scoring or providing an assist. He topped the stats with 68 accurate passes out of 76, 33 passes in the opponent’s half, 7 in the final third, and was second in duels won (6/9), playing a crucial role in the midfield during the heated encounter.
Alvarez and Paredes echoed De Paul’s statement
Julian Alvarez and Leandro Paredes also shone in the match against Brazil and shared their thoughts on the fiery pre-match comments. When asked if Raphinha’s remarks were used as motivation, the Atletico Madrid striker gave a direct response:
“Yes, but beyond that, it’s a classic, and we would have played it the same way. That added an extra spice to the match, which I think was unnecessary, but we did a great job, and with humility, we gave them a lesson,” Alvarez said after the game.
Leandro Paredes, who had a heated exchange with Rodrygo during the match, also echoed De Paul and Alvarez. The midfielder revealed that the comments reached them through the team’s WhatsApp group and made his stance clear:
“A lot. We’re used to always speaking on the field. It happened to us in the World Cup, it happened in the qualifiers, and it happened again today. We keep doing the same thing, we keep doing our part, and today we showed that again. There’s no need to talk beforehand, no need to say those kinds of things, especially when you can’t back it up on the field.”
