Neymar is the fans' favorite for Paquetá's place in the World Cup, says survey
Lucas Paquetá's injury after Brazil's 2-1 victory over Japan, which guaranteed a place in the round of 16 of the World Cup, raised doubts in the lineup. A survey by Vox Radar shows that Neymar is the fans' favorite to take over the midfielder's role.
The survey, which analyzed 1,023,212 posts and 8,544 million likes on "X" between June 29 and July 1, was obtained by Itatiaia and CNN Brasil. 23,040 posts about Paquetá and his injury during the period were identified.
Of these, 1,208 posts explicitly discussed the gap left in the Brazilian team. In addition to Neymar, five other player names were mentioned by internet users as possible replacements.
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In data from Vox Radar, Neymar appears as the most mentioned, with 826 of the 1,208 co-mentions. The player was also mentioned in 266 of the 533 posts made after the news of Paquetá's injury.
Despite the preference, Neymar's name appears to be "more divided" among fans. The research points to a mismatch between the network's desire and coach Carlo Ancelotti's vision for the position.
On the field and in the sports press, the favorite for the position is Martinelli, who has been reinvented by Ancelotti as a midfielder. Martinelli, however, is the least mentioned by fans, with just 107 mentions.
On Sunday, Ancelotti had already described Martinelli as a "modern No. 8". The sports press projects the likely lineup against Norway with Martinelli replacing Paquetá.
Danilo Santos is considered an alternative for containment in midfield. Endrick is another offensive bet mentioned by the coach himself.
The research highlights an ambiguity about "Danilo": there are two players with the name in the squad (veteran full-back and midfielder Danilo Santos). Some of the 373 posts that mention "Danilo" for the position do not specify which one, making the number uncertain.
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This text was generated by artificial intelligence based on content produced by Itatiaia. All information is investigated and checked by journalists. The final text is also reviewed by the CNN Brasil journalism team.
Source: CNN