Torcida Organizada

Marina Melo discusses Neymar's call-up and female solidarity – through the unlikely lens of Brazilian football

DISCLAIMER: This is a guest post

This is another text about the Brazilian men’s national football team – but it also isn’t.

It’s been about a week since Brazil’s national team squad for the 2026 World Cup was announced. If you live in Brazil, even if you do not care much about football – or literally do not care at all –, it is practically impossible not to come across the news. Neymar is going to be in the World Cup. After months of intense debate over whether he should or should not be called up, he was announced as one of the players selected for the tournament.

Do I have an opinion about the call-up? Yes, I do. In fact, I have many opinions – and many arguments about the entire squad and the Brazilian national team in general – because I grew up in a family that loves football and sports overall, and ever since I was very young, I was strongly encouraged to voice my opinions about the subject. (Thanks, Mom and Dad. Big kiss.)

But today I want to talk about another aspect of this whole situation. First, though, some context: in order to be called up, Neymar was expected to play well and show emotional balance throughout the season. And, well… that is not exactly what happened. Actually, quite the opposite.

Ever since this whole debate about whether he should be selected began, Neymar has been injured, failed to make a decisive impact for his club, and become the protagonist of deeply embarrassing situations both on and off the pitch, suggesting that emotional balance is not exactly at the top of his priorities.

But one thing really caught my attention: Neymar’s friends. This group – whether extremely famous or not – has been present throughout every stage of the player’s life and career. The parças, as they are widely known, were always there. Absolute support. No public criticism. No distancing themselves when things got messy. Just plain loyalty.

Honestly, I would love to be writing about literally anything else, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised there is actually something we, women, can learn from this dynamic.

Yes, you read that correctly:

I think we, women, can, in fact, learn something FROM Neymar’s friends.

So hold my hand and let’s go:

1. Be your friends’ biggest supporter

   and more importantly, be vocal about it: celebrate every step your friends take, every achievement, every decision in which they put themselves first. And more than that: tell them and tell the world. Make your support visible, unconditional, unwavering.

2. Hate the haters

   someone spoke badly about her? Failed to appreciate her effort? Then do not become her critic – become the critic of whoever criticized her. They are the ones who do not understand how brilliant and wonderful she is. Highlight all of your friends’ qualities, everything they have worked hard for, everything that makes them special and unique in the world (even if, on that particular day, she may not be feeling all that unique herself).

3. Protect your friend’s legacy

   always remember everything your friend has built, no matter how long ago it happened. Every diploma, every certificate, the public service exam she passed in 2018 but never accepted the position for, the time she took care of her mother ten years ago – it all counts. Keep that catalogue ready and on the tip of your tongue.

4. Believe in your friend’s potential and become part of her support system

   never say out loud that she will not be able to achieve something. Be the person who invests faith and love into everything she does. She says, “It’s too difficult!” It does not matter – we will help you prepare and we will tell you that you are ready. “It’s too far away!” We will drive you there. Need help? We will spread the word and gather the right people.

5. Celebrate everything she does

   be the first to celebrate an achievement, even if your friend did not have to work that hard for it, or if it came easily to her, or was simply a stroke of luck. It does not matter. Celebrate as if she had climbed Everest at the pace of the Kenyan runner who completed a marathon in under two hours. (This is not about exaggerating the achievement – it is about valuing what was achieved.) And make it public: everyone should know how much she tried, struggled, and worked for it, even if the process was not especially dramatic or painful. Strengthen her reputation. Strengthen her confidence. Strengthen her sense that someone is standing beside her.

Is this a joke? No. I genuinely believe we need to support each other more – as women, as friends, as people who still need more space in the world if we want to build a society that is more diverse and more representative of us.

Honestly, I think men do this with remarkable ease. And of course, I know that has a lot to do with years and years of patriarchy reinforcing male solidarity, networking, protection, and what we casually call “bro culture.”

But why can’t we build stronger forms of solidarity too? Why can’t we support one another regardless of whether something was all that difficult, whether the idea was especially brilliant, or whether somebody else had already done it first?

To me, what matters most today is rethinking a reality in which women become clearer about what is non-negotiable for us, and learning the strategies necessary to value one another more openly, publicly, and generously.

And as one of my closest friends, Bruna – someone who is always lifting me up –, once told me:

“If we had half the brotherhood men have, we would already have changed the world.”

Shall we begin?

---

Marina Mello writes about career, leadership, ambition, and gender. Strategically trained in healthcare consulting, she is also a practising writer. She writes for those who live somewhere between PowerPoint slides and existential crises.