Neymar defends his support for Bolsonaro

MADRID, 30 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Brazilian striker Neymar Jr. has lamented the criticism he has received in recent hours for showing his support for Jair Bolsonaro's re-election as president of Brazil, and has assured that the same ones who "talk about democracy" are the ones who attack anyone "have a different opinion."

On Thursday, the Paris Saint-Germain striker uploaded a video to TikTok in which he is seen dancing to a song in support of the far-right leader. 'Vote, vote and confirm, 22 is Bolsonaro,' reads the letter, referring to the number assigned to the current Brazilian president as a candidate in the electronic ballot box.

Thousands of fans and users of social networks in general made Neymar ugly, with eight million followers, the gesture, reminding him of Bolsonaro's racist comments towards the Afro-descendant and indigenous community.

"They talk about democracy and a lot of things, but when someone has a different opinion, they are attacked by those who talk about democracy," he wrote this Friday on his official Twitter account.

Jair Bolsonaro, 67, of the Liberal Party, aspires this Sunday to remain at the head of Brazil for another four years, in one of the presidential elections in which his archenemy Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of the Workers' Party and president of the country between 2003 and 2010, he is the main favorite.

Former players such as Ronaldinho, Rivaldo or Romário, a candidate for the Senate for Rio de Janeiro for the same party as Bolsonaro, have at some point shown their support for the far-right leader, whose first legislature has been marked by his denial management of the pandemic, his attacks on democratic institutions and the fuel it has given to fake news.