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🚨Ritsu Doan on his heated altercation with Vinicius Jr after Japan’s 3-2 victory over Brazil.
Reporter 🎙️: What exactly happened between you and Vinicius after the final whistle? There seemed to be some heated words exchanged.
Ritsu Doan 🗣️: Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it. Vini came towards me and started saying Japan were cheats, that we had bought the referees and that’s the only reason we won.
I looked at him and wondered if he was actually serious.
I told him to go and fix his chin again because it looked like it was starting to affect his brain.
He didn’t like that one bit.
He immediately started telling me that he plays for Real Madrid and that his club has 15 Champions League trophies.
I actually laughed.
I told him, “Brother, what does Real Madrid’s 15 Champions League trophies have to do with today’s match? We are talking about Brazil versus Japan, not Real Madrid versus Barcelona!”
He kept talking, but I wasn’t interested in all that.
Reporter 🎙️: So you weren’t intimidated by his status or the fact that he plays for Real Madrid?
Ritsu Doan 🗣️: Not at all. Respect to him, he’s a fantastic player. But wearing a Real Madrid shirt doesn’t give you the right to disrespect other players.
Today, Japan beat Brazil 3-2. We didn’t ask for anybody’s permission to celebrate.
If you lose, congratulate your opponent and move on. Don’t start bringing Champions League trophies into an international football argument.
Reporter 🎙️: Would you say the victory hurt him more than he expected?
Ritsu Doan 🗣️: I don’t know. But I know one thing…
He came to talk about referees, then Real Madrid’s history. Meanwhile, we were celebrating three goals against Brazil.
I think we were watching two completely different matches.
Core retweeted
The three trio of Mané, Salah and Firmino were literally the main project behind Klopp Liverpool success
Core retweeted
🚨🗣️ Luis Figo sobre o porquê de Portugal dever retirar a icónica camisola número 7 de Cristiano Ronaldo:
“Honestamente, acredito que nenhuma nação deveria tratar a sua maior lenda da forma como Portugal está a tratar Cristiano Ronaldo neste momento. Estamos a falar de um homem que dedicou mais de duas décadas da sua vida a este país, bateu recordes, conquistou troféus e fez milhões de pessoas em todo o mundo apaixonarem-se por Portugal.
Ouvi falar de discussões sobre dar um novo design ao número sete para o homenagear, mas, com todo o respeito, não acho que isso seja suficiente. Mudar a aparência de um número enquanto se permite que outro jogador o utilize não é uma verdadeira homenagem.
Do que é que temos medo, afinal? Que a próxima geração fique sem o número sete? Eles terão as suas próprias identidades e oportunidades para construir a sua própria história.
Cristiano já escreveu a dele.
Joguei ao lado dele e sei o que trouxe a esta seleção nacional. Quando Portugal precisava de alguém que assumisse a responsabilidade, ele estava sempre disposto a dar um passo em frente.
Não acho que compreendamos totalmente o que estamos a testemunhar com a sua despedida. Daqui a alguns anos, as pessoas vão olhar para trás e perguntar como foi possível um país permitir que um jogador da sua dimensão partisse sem lhe dar o reconhecimento que merece.
Se os regulamentos impedem Portugal de retirar o número, então façam um pedido oficial. Lutem por uma exceção.
Mas, por favor, não façam de um número sete com um design diferente a maior homenagem que podemos oferecer a um homem que deu tanto a Portugal.
Para mim, essa camisola pertence a Cristiano Ronaldo para sempre.”
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🚨 VINICIUS JR ON WHY HE WOULD CHOOSE ARSENAL IF HE EVER DECIDES TO LEAVE REAL MADRID:
Interviewer: Vini, hypothetically, if you left Madrid, why would Arsenal be your destination?
💬 Vinicius Jr: “Look, if I’m going to leave, I want a place where I’ll actually have to prove myself again. At Arsenal the standards are higher, the intensity is different, and you can’t just hide behind the name of the club. I know I’d have to earn it there every single week. That challenge is what I’d be looking for.”
🎙️ Interviewer: But you’ve been struggling for form and starting spot at Madrid. Are you saying Arsenal would push you more?
💬 Vinicius Jr: “Exactly. Madrid has been comfortable for too long. Arsenal wouldn’t let me settle. If I go there, I know I’d either rise or get exposed quickly. That’s the point.”
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🚨Ritsu Doan on his altercation with Raphinha during Japan’s comeback win against Brazil:
🗣️ “I know football comes with emotions, but there is a difference between being emotional and disrespecting people.
This was a friendly match.
It wasn’t a World Cup final.
It wasn’t a knockout game.
I know Brazil are still angry about what happened when Japan eliminated them from the World Cup, but come on, this was a different game.
The ball had already gone out for a throw-in.
Raphinha walked towards the touchline and kicked a bottle that went towards the camera crew.
I didn’t find it funny.
Those guys are just doing their jobs.
They are standing there for hours, filming the match so millions of people can watch it.
You’re in Japan.
Respect our people.
Respect our camera crew.
So I walked towards him and said, ‘Raphinha, what are you doing?’
He looked at me and said, ‘Stay out of it.’
I said, ‘No, I won’t stay out of it. You just kicked something towards people who have nothing to do with the game.’
He said, ‘It was just a bottle.’
I told him, ‘That’s not the point. You’re representing Brazil. You can be angry, you can be frustrated, you can lose the game, but you don’t get to take your frustration out on people doing their jobs.’
He looked at me and said, ‘You think I’m worried about a camera?’
I said, ‘No. I think you should be worried about respect.’
That annoyed him.
He came closer and said, ‘You’re talking too much.’
I said, ‘And you’re acting like you’ve forgotten where you are.’
He asked me, ‘What does that mean?’
I said, ‘It means you’re in Japan. You don’t come here, lose your head and treat our people like they’re part of your frustration.’
He laughed and said, ‘You guys are winning now, so everyone wants to talk.’
I told him, ‘No. We’re talking because you crossed a line.’
Then he said, ‘It’s football. Things happen.’
I looked at him and said, ‘Exactly. Football happens. Losing happens. Getting angry happens. But respect should never disappear because you’re losing.’
For a few seconds, we were just looking at each other.
Then I said, ‘If you want to fight with someone, fight with us on the pitch. That’s where the game is.’
He didn’t say anything.
I walked away.
I wasn’t trying to start a fight with him.
I wanted him to understand that there are things bigger than football.
You can be angry.
You can complain to the referee.
You can shout at your teammates.
You can even hate losing.
But don’t disrespect the people around you who are simply doing their jobs.
And honestly, after the final whistle, I didn’t care about that argument anymore.
We had beaten Brazil.
That was enough.
Raphinha is a great player. I respect him as a footballer.
But respect has to go both ways.
You can come to Japan, compete, fight, lose your head for 90 minutes if you want.
Just don’t forget whose country you’re playing in.
Because football is a game.
Respect is bigger than the game.”
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🚨 Raphinha responds to reports that he asked to be substituted while Brazil were trailing against Japan:
🗣️“I don’t understand why people are blowing my reaction out of proportion.
After that first counterattack, I started feeling something in my legs. I was dizzy and honestly wasn’t feeling right.
Even when Ancelotti suggested making a substitution, I told him to give me a little more time because I felt I could still carry on.
But about 10 minutes later, I genuinely didn’t know where I was. At that point, I had to ask to be substituted.
The media have taken the situation and turned it into something completely different.
If I wasn’t so passionate about this team, I wouldn’t have been standing on the touchline protesting and getting myself a red card for it.
I’m the captain of a country with such a rich history in this sport. Do people really think I would abandon my teammates when they needed me most? I would never do that.”
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🚨A conversation between Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and João Neves during Portugal training:
🗣️ Bernardo: “Bruno, I’m your captain now, so you better start passing the ball to me.”
🗣️ Bruno: “What do you mean?”
🗣️ Bernardo: “I’m your new captain and your new point man. You forgot you always had to pass to the retired captain.”
🗣️ Bruno: “I did pass to him, mate. He just didn’t score them.”
🗣️ João: “Bruno, you actually look happier now.”
🗣️ Bruno: “Why do you think that is?”
🗣️ João: “Because you don’t have to look for one person every time you get the ball.”
🗣️ Bruno: “Exactly. Now everyone knows they can expect my pass.”
🗣️ João: “Maybe now when we win, it’s Portugal that wins. Not one man.”
🗣️ Bernardo: “Careful, João. I’m the captain now. Which means I also have to start every game.”
🗣️ Bruno: “Then I’ll play number nine. I’m not getting benched.”
🗣️ João: “Wait… now you want his position too?”
🗣️ Bruno: “At least I can run and score.”
🗣️ Bernardo: “Oh, so this is how it is now?”
🗣️ Bruno: “I’m just saying, captain.”
🗣️ Bernardo: “Brats. Both of you. Go back to training before I bench you myself.”
🗣️ João: “See? He’s already enjoying the captaincy.”
🗣️ Bernardo: “Exactly. Now run.”
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🚨BRADLEY BARCOLA FACES QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS! 🔥
🎙️Reporter: “Your Favorite club, Liverpool or PSG?”
🗣️Barcola: “Liverpool.”
🎙️Reporter: “Your favourite teammate?”
🗣️Barcola: “Isak.”
🎙️Reporter: “Your football idol growing up?”
🗣️Haaland: “Cristiano Ronaldo . Greatest ever.”
🎙️Reporter: “The best striker in the world right now?”
🗣️Haaland: “Harry Kane. He’s just won the Ballon d’Or.”
🎙️Reporter: “The toughest defender you’ve faced?”
🗣️Haaland: “Ronald Araujo.”
🎙️Reporter: “Who is more difficult to play against, Araujo or Rüdiger?”
🗣️Haaland: “Araujo. He’s incredibly difficult to get past.”
🎙️Reporter: “One defender you enjoy facing?”
🗣️Haaland: “Kounde. He always makes life difficult, but I do get the better of him.”(laugh)
🎙️Reporter: “One player you’d love to play alongside?”
🗣️Barcola: “Bellingham and Vinicius.”
🎙️Reporter: “One club you’d love to play for outside England?”
🗣️Barcola: “Real Madrid.
🎙️Reporter: “If you could steal one player’s ability, whose would it be?”
🗣️Haaland: “Cristiano Ronaldo’s shooting accuracy. He’s unbelievable.”
🎙️Reporter: “If Messi and Ronaldo were both in their prime, who would you want as your teammate?”
🗣️Barcola: “Ronaldo.
🎙️Reporter: “One trophy you’d sacrifice everything to win?”
🗣️Barcola: “The World Cup.”
🎙️Reporter: “The most intelligent teammate in training?”
🗣️Barcola: “Szoboszlai, He’s incredibly smart.”
🎙️Reporter: “Who hates losing the most during training?”
🗣️Barcola: “Van dijk. He takes everything seriously.”
🎙️Reporter: “The most technically gifted player in training?”
🗣️Barcola: “There are a couple of them, Wirtz and Szoboszlai, but I’ll go with Mac Allister. His technique is unbelievable.”
🎙️Reporter: “One player you’d trust with a last-minute penalty?”
🗣️Barcola: “Szoboszlai. I’d trust him.”
🎙️Reporter: “Whose cooking would you trust?”
🗣️Barcola: “Frimpong. I love the African food he cooks.”
🎙️Reporter: “Whose cooking would you refuse to eat?”
🗣️Barcola: “Isak. I’m sorry, but I’m not taking that risk.” (Laughs)
🎙️Reporter: “One stadium you’d love to score a hat-trick in?”
🗣️Barcola: “I always dream of scoring hat-tricks every matchday.”
🎙️Reporter: “Finally, what are three things you still want to achieve before retiring?”
🗣️Barcola: “Win the Champions League again, the Ballon d’Or and the World Cup.”
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🚨🎙️ Ritsu Doan on Japan’s controversial victory over Brazil and the refereeing decisions that have sparked outrage:
🎙️Reporter: There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this game, particularly the refereeing decisions.what can you say about it ?
🗣️ Ritsu Doan: “Of course, I understand why there is so much controversy. And if we’re being completely honest, there was even a moment when I looked at Take Kubo and asked him,
‘Did we really pay this referee? Why is he doing so much for us?’ (laughs)
I’m not going to sit here and pretend the referee handled every situation correctly.
I believe some decisions could have been handled differently, and I completely understand the Brazilian frustration. We benefited from some decisions, and I won’t deny that.
“But that doesn’t mean we didn’t deserve to win this game. We were 2-0 up, Brazil fought their way back to make it 2-2, and at that moment, I looked around at my teammates and asked ourselves, ‘Are we really going to allow this game to slip away from us?’
We woke up,
Changed our mentality and started fighting again.
We didn’t want to leave that pitch without the victory. We came back with a winning mindset, and eventually, we got the result.
“You cannot honestly look at this game and say Japan didn’t fight for the win. We did. We showed character when Brazil came back, and we found a way to win.
“But I won’t sit here pretending we weren’t favoured by some decisions. Nobody is perfect, and the referee has played his part in this game.
“It favoured us, and we’re happy with the victory. That’s football.
Sometimes decisions go your way, sometimes they go against you. You cannot expect everything to favour you every single time.
“Today, we got some favourable decisions, and Brazil didn’t. I understand their anger, but we’re going to celebrate our victory because we also fought hard to earn it.”
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🚨 Carlo Ancelotti on the late chaos in Brazil’s 3-2 loss to Japan:
“Emotions were extremely high in the final minutes after Japan scored the winner, but what followed was simply unacceptable.
Raphinha and I only wanted a clear explanation for the challenge that started the move leading to the goal — a moment we believed should have been properly reviewed. Instead of any dialogue, both of us were immediately shown red cards.
Officials at international level must demonstrate composure and authority when players or coaches question decisions; they cannot escalate every disagreement into dismissals because their ego feels challenged. Japan were well-organized, dangerous on the counter-attack, and fully deserved the victory on the night.
We take responsibility for the result and know there are areas we must improve. That said, the officiating should never become the biggest talking point of a match like this.
We came here to play football, not to watch red cards being handed out simply to protect a referee’s authority. International football needs competent, consistent, and accountable officiating, not officials who lose control the moment their decisions are questioned.”
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🚨Tijjani Reijnders on his conversation with Xavi Hernández after the Netherlands’ 7-0 victory over Greece:
Reporter 🎙️: You scored a hat-trick tonight, but there was reportedly a special conversation between you and Xavi after the final whistle. What happened?
Reijnders 🗣️: Honestly, I went straight to him because I had to tell him something. I told him, ‘Mister, your tactics are incredible. The way you’ve organised this team, the movement, the passing patterns and how we constantly find spaces is unbelievable.’
He smiled and answered, ‘Tijjani, this is the Johan Cruyff way. It’s an idea that has been transferred from generation to generation. Football is about understanding spaces, controlling the game and making your opponent chase shadows.’
Reporter 🎙️: What did you say to that?
Reijnders 🗣️: I told him I understood exactly what he meant because I experienced something similar at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
I remember how Pep implemented these principles in almost every match. The positional play, the triangles, the constant movement and the importance of knowing where your next pass is before receiving the ball.
I told Xavi that playing under Pep helped me understand this kind of football, but experiencing it again under him from a different perspective is something special.
Then Xavi said something that really caught my attention.
He told me, ‘It’s all thanks to Barcelona. This club has protected this philosophy and continued playing this way even to the present day. That’s why so many great coaches understand this football. Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Cesc Fàbregas. They all have connections to Barcelona’s football culture, and La Masia has played an important role in passing these ideas down.’
Reporter 🎙️: Did that conversation change how you see his tactics?
Reijnders 🗣️: Absolutely. He made me understand that this isn’t just about passing the ball around. There is a reason behind every movement.
Sometimes you move to create space for someone else. Sometimes you make a pass that doesn’t look important, but it opens up the entire opposition.
Look at tonight. We scored seven goals, but what impressed me most was how we controlled the match. Even when Greece tried to adjust, we kept finding solutions.
And honestly, Xavi is obsessed with these little details. He wants everything to be perfect.
Reporter 🎙️: So you see similarities between Pep and Xavi?
Reijnders 🗣️: Definitely. Different personalities, different approaches, but you can recognise the same footballing education.
I’ve experienced Pep’s ideas at Manchester City, and now I’m seeing another generation of that philosophy through Xavi.
Cruyff created the idea. Barcelona protected it. Pep and Xavi carried it forward. And tonight, we showed just how beautiful that football can be.
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🚨COLE PALMER FACES QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS CHELSEA TEAMMATES
Reporter 🗣️: Best player in training?
Palmer 🎙️: Moisés Caicedo.
Reporter 🗣️: Most skilful teammate?
Palmer 🎙️: Estêvão. That boy is ridiculous.
Reporter 🗣️: Biggest joker in the dressing room?
Palmer 🎙️: Pedro Neto. He never shuts up.
Reporter 🗣️: Most underrated player at Chelsea?
Palmer 🎙️: Roméo Lavia. People don’t understand how good he is.
Reporter 🗣️: Who has the worst fashion sense?
Palmer 🎙️: Reece James. Don’t let him see this.
Reporter 🗣️: Best finisher?
Palmer 🎙️: João Pedro.
Reporter 🗣️: Most intelligent footballer?
Palmer 🎙️: Jordan Henderson. He’s always thinking.
Reporter 🗣️: Fastest player?
Palmer 🎙️: Jamie Gittens.
Reporter 🗣️: Who talks the most during training?
Palmer 🎙️: Morgan Rogers. Especially when he’s playing against me.
Reporter 🗣️: Most difficult teammate to defend against?
Palmer 🎙️: Malo Gusto. He’s always trying something.
Reporter 🗣️: Who would you trust with a last-minute penalty?
Palmer 🎙️: Reece James. No pressure gets to him.
Reporter 🗣️: Biggest troublemaker?
Palmer 🎙️: Wesley Fofana. I won’t say anything else.
Reporter 🗣️: Who makes you laugh the most?
Palmer 🎙️: Estêvão. Sometimes I don’t even understand what he’s laughing about.
Reporter 🗣️: Who is the biggest complainer?
Palmer 🎙️: Pedro Neto. He complains about absolutely everything.
Reporter 🗣️: Who takes the longest to get ready?
Palmer 🎙️: João Pedro. I don’t know what takes him so long.
Reporter 🗣️: Who has the biggest ego?
Palmer 🎙️: Morgan Rogers. He’ll probably deny it.
Reporter 🗣️: Who is the quietest in the dressing room?
Palmer 🎙️: Roméo Lavia. Sometimes you forget he’s there.
Reporter 🗣️: Who is the most competitive?
Palmer 🎙️: Caicedo. Even when we’re playing video games, he wants to win.
Reporter 🗣️: One teammate you think will become a superstar?
Palmer 🎙️: Estêvão. He’s got something special.
Reporter 🗣️: Who is the biggest star at Chelsea?
Palmer 🎙️: Me. Let’s not make this complicated!
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🚨🎙️ Raphinha on his heated altercation with the referee after Brazil’s controversial 3-2 defeat to Japan:
🎙️ Reporter: You were visibly furious with the referee after the final whistle, particularly when he showed Ancelotti a red card. What exactly happened?
🗣️ Raphinha: “I won’t pretend everything was fine today because it wasn’t.
Honestly, the officiating was very difficult to understand, and I think everybody who watched that game could see what was happening.
I was there on the bench watching everything. I saw how the decisions were going, and almost every important decision seemed to favour Japan.
At some point, you start asking yourself whether we’re playing against eleven players or whether we also have to worry about the referee.
But what made me really angry was how their final goal came about.
There was a clear foul in the build-up to that goal. A very obvious one. And instead of stopping the game, going back to review the incident and checking what happened, he simply awarded the goal.
How can you look at that situation and award a goal? What exactly is VAR there for? These are the moments that can decide football matches.
Then I saw him showing Ancelotti a red card, and honestly, that was when I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
I heard the way he was speaking to him.
He was telling him to keep quiet, that he was only complaining.
Can you imagine that?
This is Ancelotti we’re talking about.
A man who has spent his entire life in football. He deserves respect, regardless of whether the referee agrees with his complaints.
And then he said something that really made me lose my temper.
He told Ancelotti that Brazil had won against Japan at the World Cup, that Japan had now paid us back, and that he was here complaining about it.
Payback? (Seriously?)
I still don’t understand what he meant by that. What does payback have to do with football officiating?
Is he not supposed to be a referee?
Is he not supposed to remain neutral and make decisions based on what happens on the pitch?
I couldn’t take it anymore. I told him he had absolutely no right to speak to Ancelotti in that manner.
I told him that he deserved respect and that he was going to respect him.
He looked at me and immediately showed me a red card.
But I had to tell him something before walking away. I said, ‘You can continue giving everybody red cards if that’s what you want, but I’ll tell you this: you’re biased, and you’ve actually allowed your favoritism to get the better of you.’
And he would soon be exposed because I genuinely believe FIFA needs to look into this game.
Somebody needs to review what happened today because these decisions cannot simply be ignored.
And the thing that continues to bother me is that statement.
‘It’s payback time.’
I still don’t understand it. A referee should never be talking about revenge, payback or settling old scores. His responsibility is to officiate the match fairly.
We’re professional footballers. We can lose games, we can make mistakes and we can accept defeat.
But we should never have to accept a situation where the person responsible for enforcing the rules appears to have his own reasons for favouring one side.
That is what makes me angry. And honestly, I don’t think we’re asking for too much by demanding fairness.”
