headcanons of other countries; portugal / england / argentina
a/n: i've always imagined how it'd be like to be friends with these guys. their group must be so much fun to be with. comfort national team ): lmk if you want a part two with the rest of the brazil guys! hope u enjoy ⭐️
synopsis: headcanons of the seleção brasileira during the world cup 🏆
—
neymar
u and ney met for the first time at the brazil world cup
u had been a fan of his since his glory days in santos and his starting years in barcelona
through ney, u got to know the brazil legends
say ricardo kaká, say phil coutinho, say roberto firmino; say literally any brazil player, u have met them before
no one would dare to touch u because ur ney's friend
that's how powerful he is
he always offers to take u out with brazil during the international break
after training, ney insists u and the guys play a friendly game
u could pick out ur team and all, it's very cute (in my head)
he makes sure u get the best seats to watch the game
he invites u to squad dinner after every game brazil had under their campaign
overall, he's just a really amazing dude
it's a blast to get to hang out w him
richarlison
besides u and neymar, richarlison is the other dude ur attached at the hip w
u think he's the funniest guy you've ever met
and he thinks ur the prettiest girl he's ever known
u helped him dye his hair platinum blonde for the world cup
yep it was u
he gave u the shirt he wore on the very first match of brazil's campaign
and u wore that shirt every time brazil had to square up until their loss against croatia
i feel like richy is the kind to invite u to his hotel room so he could get a shit ton of room service
kinda weird. but it's actually kinda cute
he would make jokes solely bc he wants to hear ur laugh
if u don't laugh at his jokes, he literally dies inside
he's pretty overprotective
more overprotective than neymar, i'd say
he'd always have his arm around u
his height also intimidates a lot of people so it helps
he just overall cares so damn much about u
amazing guy
vinicius jr
vini's the kind to tolerate everyone's bs
he kinda just laughs at the squad's antics
trust me, the guys are all weird in their own ways
vini's the neutral guy
he's weird
but then again, he isn't
tbh w u, he's only weird when rodrygo's around
every time u would come visit him and rodrygo and eder, he brings along his nephew to the bernabéu
his nephew loooooves u
bc of vini, u have every real madrid kit u could think of
u have his, rodrygo's, eder's, even benzema's
awesome dude, he cares a lot about his friends
ur lucky to be friends w vini
lucas paquetá
okay i lied
u think lucas is the funniest guy in the seleção
don't tell richy
only u would tolerate his antics
every time one of the guys get paired up with lucas on the plane, they'd ask if they could switch w u
bc only u could match w his shenanigans
his wife n kids LOVE u
i cannot stress that enough
they see u as family
tia y/n
u love benício and filippo the same
but pippinho's ur favorite, ur not fooling anybody
richy joins u guys sometimes
he's the same amount of crazy, not to worry
u and lucas would brainstorm different dance celebrations
u were the mastermind behind his celebration after his goal against south korea
u and lucas would send each other tiktoks every day
whether it be dance related or just mad dumb shit
u appreciate having lucas in ur life
u have always wanted a best friend like him
and now that u do, u never want to let him go
antony
u and antony are very parent-like to one another
u both are around the same age
antony being a few months older than u
he wouldn't live it down
"eu sou mais velho que você, respeite os mais velhos, y/n" [i'm older than you, respect your elder, y/n]
"então você admite que tá velho" [so you admit you're old]
u would joke w him ALL. THE. TIME.
"eu apoio todos os clubes, exceto o manchester united. porque você tá nele" [i support all clubs except manchester united. bc you're in it]
"okay, agora isso é apenas maldade, y/n" [okay, now that's just mean, y/n]
all jokes aside, he'd go livid if anybody ever hurts you
essay - the kids (and 30 year olds) are alright; how the carabao cup final embodies klopp's vision
There are certain games that serve as an encapsulation of a manager’s vision and influence and last Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final was certainly one of them. While the circumstances of the match were far, far, from perfect, it resulted in a perfect microcosm of Klopp’s vision and what legacy he leaves. Needless to say, the main thing on people’s minds was Liverpool’s massive list of injuries. Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Szoboszlai, Jones, Nunez, Salah, Jota. Everytime you thought the list was over, there was another name. And so, Klopp and Liverpool had to adapt.
While the “Klopp’s Kids” narrative is certainly true and worthy of all the praise in the world, so are those opposite the youngsters. A group of children were thrown into the deep end that is the Carabao Cup Final, the names of which were unknown to people outside of Liverpool circles. Amongst the youngsters, Jarell Quansah has the most appearances at a whopping 8. Bobby Clark has 5, James McConnell has 3 and Jayden Danns was playing in his second ever game. When you throw children in the deep end, you need people to guide them. That came in the form of the two perfect encapsulations of Klopp’s tenure and transfers: Virgil van Dijk and Waturu Endo.
Under Klopp, Liverpool have mainly made 2 types of transfer deals. The first is splashing big money on proven players that generally operate within the spine of the team. The second is buying under the radar talent for cheap. Virgil van Dijk embodies the first better then anyway else, aside from possibly Alisson. Bought for 75 million, he arrived in the winter of 2018, as Liverpool waved farewell to Barca-bound Phil Coutinho. He was desperately needed, as Liverpool was a goal-scoring machine, but leakey defensively. A world record fee for a defender (at the time), he made his debut in the FA Cup against Everton and scored the winner (obviously a header) late on. The rest is history. Van Dijk has proved to be worth more then every single cent paid for him, and not just because of his defensive abilities. Even before he became captain, he was clearly a leader on the team and had good relationships with everyone, especially his defensive mates. That kind of leadership is what makes him truly invaluable.
Endo, despite having just arrived, has already been a success and has the makings of a legend. The Japan captain was signed in the aftermath of failed attempts to get Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. In the end, both went to Chelsea for absurd sums, and Liverpool were left without a DM. With the Premier League season alreacy underway, Liverpool bought Waturu Endo from Stuttgart for 16 million. The move was met with skeptcism. It’s probably fair to say most Liverpool fans aren’t well versed with Stuttgart and people were frustrated after the failure to sign Caicedo and Lavia. Endo was not as flashy as they were and he was much older, sitting at 30. In his arrival video, Jurgen Klopp greets him by telling him “...we really need you. We need you and your heart and your legs and your football ability and your football brain.” It’s safe to say, Endo has delivered on everything asked of him, plus some extra. A lot of extra. In a season where Liverpool’s incoming midfield signings included Brighton star and World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, and Hungary captain and highly rated Red Bull graduate Dominik Szoboszlai, Endo’s performance is all the more impressive. And he’s doing it at a fraction of what was paid for Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, who have both justified their own transfer fees.
Back to the original point, van Dijk and Endo were tasked with providing defensive stability, to allow the kids to have more freedom. Indeed, both gave Man of the Match performances, even well into extra time. Their grit and steadfastness allowed the younger players to go forward without fear. This confidence caught Chelsea off-guard, and rightly so. You may have seen Chelsea fans (and certain other fanbases) point out that Chelsea’s squad had a younger average age by the end of the match than Liverpool. This is being used in an attempt to dismiss the impact of Liverpool’s youngsters. This is also a stupid argument. Firstly, Liverpool’s average age was raised by the aforementioned Virgil van Dijk and Waturu Endo, along with Andy Robertson. Secondly, this ignores the true meaning behind the praise of Klop’s Kids. They aren’t praised solely for being young; rather, they’re academy graduates making their mark in a team full of stars. While there are also debates and arguments about how truly homegrown these kids are, the undeniable truth is that Liverpool has become one of the best clubs to be a young player in.
It’s hard to pick one, singular best thing that Klopp will leave behind, but after Sunday’s final, I’m tempted to declare that it’s his impact on Liverpool’s academy. It all started with Trent Alexander-Arnold and his eventual promotion to the first team. Alexander-Arnold has played nearly his entire senior career at Liverpool under Klopp, and it shows. The marriage of his natural footballing talent, namely his passing and vision with Klopp’s tactics and mentality has made Alexander-Arnold a star. And he’s been like this for a while. Despite losing the 2018 Champions League Final, he kept Ronaldo in his pocket that whole night, at age 19. Over the next few seasons, he continued to shine brighter. However, the 2022-2023 season saw many difficulties for him, compounded by Liverpool being nothing short of miserable.
But there are almost no signs of his struggles last season. In fact, Trent has stood out this season, both as a Liverpool and England player. His new role as a hybrid rightback/midfielder has paid off. He rescued a point against Manchester City in November and proceeded to score the winner against Fulham not long after.
Trent’s rise was likely a message to Liverpool academy kids that “Yes, you can do it. There is a way. It’s hard, but it’s possible.” For many years, Liverpool’s academy was mocked and derided. There were occasional sparks of talent, but nothing consistent. Now, however, everytime Liverpool play a new 17 year old appears on the bench. When he comes on, people think, “OK, they’re injured and desperate. He’ll be overwhelmed.” And then the kid precedes to score a goal or make a game-saving tackle.
But the best part of it all is how these kids are treated. Whether they score a brace or misplace a pass, the older players offer nothing but encouragement and love. When Jarell Quansah started against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup, Virgil van Dijk traveled with them to support the team, despite the terrible weather. He wasn’t even in the squad. Guidance, comfort, praise, encouragement, are constant. And it comes from some of the best in the world at their positions. Players, such as Alisson, van Dijk and Salah, who will go down as legends, not just for Liverpool, but as all-timers in their respective positions. It comes from the likes of Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool boys who understand the academy kids, perhaps better then anyone. It comes from World Cup winner, Alexis Mac Allister and chaos king Darwin Nunez.
Klopp’s influence will live in every one of the players he has coached, especially the ones who are young. While some things will change when the new manager arrives, the Klopp mentality has become synonymous with Liverpool and will live on in the young players who will, one day, become stars,
ในปี 2015, Philippe Coutinho เป็นหนึ่งในนักเตะที่มีฝันใหญ่และกำลังดีที่สุดในโลกขณะนั้น ระหว่างที่เขาเล่นให้กับทีม Liverpool ในลีกพรีเมียร์, เขาเองก็กำลังก้าวขึ้นเป็นหนึ่งในนักเตะทันสมัยที่มีความสามารถในการทำประตูและสร้างเกมที่น่าทึ่งมากขึ้น การต่อสัญญาใหม่กับ Liverpool เมื่อนั้นเป็นภารกิจที่มีค่าที่สุดสำหรับเขา เพราะเขาเลือกอยู่กับทีมที่เขารักและให้โอกาสให้เขาได้แสดงความสามารถของตัวเองให้เต็มที่
ในทางกลับกันทีมชาติจากประเทศเบลเยียมและปอร์ตูเกสก็ได้แสดงความเข้มแข็งอย่างน่าทึ่ง โดยการตัดสินใจของพวกเขาก็ได้นำทีมไปสู้อย่างเข้มข้นและไม่ยอมแพ้ทีมใด ทีมชาติเช็กก็ไม่เป็นนอทีมพลที่ไม่ค่อยจะน่าจะละลาย ด้วยการบรรยายไปว่า เราสามารถดีเม้าวลผลของพวกเขาได ณ rer und us