In the world of soccer, this summer had seen it all: mega-transfers, grand unveilings, and trickery on the field, but the depth of narratives around Neymar continue to dominate conversation. So much so that a legend of Uruguay’s recent futboling past took it upon himself to not just interject in the Neymar-Edinson Cavani feud, but to throw shots at the Brazilian and his countryman and buddy, Dani Alves.
Diego Forlán is the latest person to desert the realm of the sane. He has, as you might have guessed, sided with his fellow Uruguayan, but on his own terms and in his own rather vulgar vocabulary. Uruguay’s record cap holder has now lambasted, vilified and crucified the Neymar-Alves combo with a single word, one whose problematic nature has never stopped an athlete from using it as the worst of insults: ‘bitch.’
“What does not make sense is what Alves does, he doesn’t give the ball to Cavani but gives it to Neymar as if he were his bitch,” Forlán told Uruguayan radio station Radio Sport 890. “[Cavani] deserves respect. He has been scoring goals for years and taking penalties, there has to be respect.” It’s important to note that Forlán played alongside Cavani for years with the national team and, together, they won the 2011 Copa America–even though Cavani was benched for much of the tournament.
“Neymar would not have done that to Messi,” highlighted Forlán. “He did not want Cavani to take the penalty. He was like a little boy annoying him. It’s a problem between Neymar and Cavani, those things happen on all teams.”
Forlán’s comments will have done little to appease the tension in Paris, but his explosive defense of Cavani may well be futile; rumors abound that the Uruguayan has been pushed towards the exit door at PSG, with a throb of suitors waiting on the other side. Manager Unai Emery is playing deaf to the drama, saying that Cavani is his #1 penalty taker, while Neymar will remain second for the time being.
Regardless of what’s up, this is a situation PSG will want to resolve sooner rather than later with a bumper European Cup fixture against Bayern Munich lined up as their old coach Carlo Ancelotti returns to the Parc des Princes. For his part, Alves took to Twitter, as he often does, to resent Forlán’s claims on Thursday, saying that, basically, the Uruguayan should mind his own damn business:
