Brazil-Japan: "He's not the Neymar he used to be," Kento Shiogai victim of racist comments after his remark about the Seleção

By highlighting the decline of Brazil and its star Neymar, Japanese striker Kento Shiogai has drawn the ire of Seleção fans. So much so that a flood of racist comments inundated his latest Instagram post.

The round of 32 is well underway. Just hours before a Brazil-Japan match that promises to be more open than ever this Monday (7 pm French time), a statement has ignited a firestorm. Interviewed by the national press, Japanese striker Kento Shiogai had some rather harsh words for the Brazilian team: "Brazil used to be strong. But today? I get the impression that France is strong, and Argentina too. As for Brazil, I haven't heard much about them lately."

And commenting on the form of icon Neymar: "He's not the Neymar of before. I think we're doing well now."

25,000 comments in just a few hours

That was all it took to spark outrage among Brazilian fans. Picked up by all the local media, Kento Shiogai's comment triggered a flood of reactions.

This is evidenced by the comments section of the Wolfsburg striker's latest Instagram post. It received over 25,000 comments, compared to the usual few hundred. Among the messages, O Globo identified numerous racist and xenophobic remarks directed against Asian populations.

Kento Shiogai's statement also surfaced in Brazil's pre-match press conferences. "We're not going to talk about that, we're going to focus on the match, on the qualities of our opponent," dismissed coach Carlo Ancelotti. "We're going to prepare well to create problems for them and to avoid them. We're not going to dwell on the mental aspect."

For PSG captain Marquinhos, Kento Shiogai's words can serve as motivation for the Seleção. "It's good that they continue to speak to motivate our team. We've been in the United States for almost a month. With a lot of humility, we continue to work hard to achieve our goal. We leave that kind of talk to our opponents, let them talk a lot to motivate us," the 32-year-old center-back responded.

Although they finished top of their group, the Brazilians were far from dazzling, having not been world champions for 24 years. On the other side, Japan, who have never won a knockout match in the World Cup, are enjoying a golden period, with only one defeat in their twelve matches played this season, including a 3-2 victory against... Brazil.