There was a moment of showboating followed by several of chaos.
Memphis Depay stood with both feet on the ball as Corinthians ticked towards glory in the Paulista A1 final against Palmeiras, sparking a mass brawl that eventually led to a player from each side sent off.
The move enraged not only the opposition but also the Brazilian football federation, which responded by suggesting the act was a "provocation to a rival and disrespects the game", one punishable by a yellow card. Depay, and Brazil legend Neymar, hit back.
"I really went to Brazil to experience jogo bonito [the beautiful game]," said the Netherlands forward Depay. "There is so much talent over here. The joy and passion in the way of expressing ourselves on the field shouldn't be limited."
"Football is getting more and more boring," added Neymar.
Depay is not your conventional footballer. Rapper, philanthropist, muse. Sweatband cradling his brow and lion inked on his back, the 31-year-old has boldly written his own legacy.
Having ridden the wave of PSV Eindhoven wonderkid turned Manchester United misfit, he was an early purveyor of analytics in rebooting his career. He impressed at Lyon and won silverware in Spain before becoming a favourite in Brazil.
Yet he is also the Netherlands' all-time top scorer, etching his name into Dutch record books above iconic figures and penalty-box predators, and will look to add to his tally of 52 goals in the current international break.
"I travelled to Brazil specifically to see if he could still be of sufficient value to the Dutch national team as a Corinthians player," said Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman. "You don't do that for everyone."
There was a moment of showboating followed by several of chaos.
Memphis Depay stood with both feet on the ball as Corinthians ticked towards glory in the Paulista A1 final against Palmeiras, sparking a mass brawl that eventually led to a player from each side sent off.
The move enraged not only the opposition but also the Brazilian football federation, which responded by suggesting the act was a "provocation to a rival and disrespects the game", one punishable by a yellow card. Depay, and Brazil legend Neymar, hit back.
"I really went to Brazil to experience jogo bonito [the beautiful game]," said the Netherlands forward Depay. "There is so much talent over here. The joy and passion in the way of expressing ourselves on the field shouldn't be limited."
"Football is getting more and more boring," added Neymar.
Depay is not your conventional footballer. Rapper, philanthropist, muse. Sweatband cradling his brow and lion inked on his back, the 31-year-old has boldly written his own legacy.
Having ridden the wave of PSV Eindhoven wonderkid turned Manchester United misfit, he was an early purveyor of analytics in rebooting his career. He impressed at Lyon and won silverware in Spain before becoming a favourite in Brazil.
Yet he is also the Netherlands' all-time top scorer, etching his name into Dutch record books above iconic figures and penalty-box predators, and will look to add to his tally of 52 goals in the current international break.
"I travelled to Brazil specifically to see if he could still be of sufficient value to the Dutch national team as a Corinthians player," said Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman. "You don't do that for everyone."
SOURCE/AUTHOR : BBC NEWS - Alex Bysouth - BBC Sport senior journalist
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